Sonia Sotomayor

commons.wikimedia.orgStacey Ilyse [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]Determination can get someone a long way, but along with a strict sense of justice, someone can get anywhere. And it got Sonia Sotomayor to being a member of the Supreme Court. Other things came of her willfulness. She also helped many people along the way. After Sonia’s parents immigrated from Puerto Rico during World War II, she spent a lot of her time studying. Sonia Sotomayor’s mother spent most of her money buying her encyclopedias so she could educate herself. Her father died when she was nine. Her mother Celina supported Sonia and her brother with just the values given by her position at the Prospect Hospital. Celina also encouraged her children to excel in academics and learn English. Sonia Sotomayor excelled in school, managing to earn a scholarship to Princeton University. Whilst in her sophomore year at Princeton, she became known as a student leader amongst her peers. She was also active in Accion Puertorriquena, a group which showed the struggles of Puerto Rican students during her time at Princeton University. She also decided to write her senior thesis of 150 pages about certain problems Puerto Rico was facing. Sonia Sotomayor possesses many aspects of the hero. She is incredibly determined to do what she thinks is right. Sotomayor can accomplish that with her acute sense of right and wrong. Another of her ideals is that people should be inspired to pull themselves out of their figurative muck. Heroes are people who can help others by the image of how they helped themselves, and Sonia Sotomayor follows that definition. She’s quite determined to do what is right and she helps to inspire others to follow their dreams.

Sonia's sense of justice is what makes her a hero and a great judge, because it allows her to perceive problems and situations differently than others and therefore be able to solve them more efficiently. Sotomayor once found herself dealing with the 1995 MLB baseball season, and the problem was that baseball team controllers would move players to training camps and vote to start the season without them. However, “[w]hen team owners began moving replacement players to training camps and then voted to begin the season with them, the case came onto Sotomayor's docket. Famously, she issued an injunction preventing team owners from hiring new teams” (“Sonia Sotomayor.” Encyclopedia). Instead of trying to directly deal with the problem, Sonia took a more indirect solution to stop this issue from recurring. She chose to prevent team owners from hiring new teams. Sonia also reportedly “chided baseball owners, saying they had no right to unilaterally eliminate the 20-year-old system of free agents and salary arbitration while bargaining continues" (“Sonia Sotomayor.” Encyclopedia). She reinforced a 20-year-old system whilst saving 1995 MLB baseball. However that would not have been possible without her unique perception of problems. Without a doubt Sotomayor should be held in high regard because of her deeds. She has done many impressive feats. 

Sotomayor’s determination to do the right thing is also reason for her heroism. When she believes it to be important, she'll try everything within her power to fix it. Her determination is never impeded by someone disagreeing with her or not believing in her. "She was also outspoken against police brutality in general and the harassment of homosexuals in particular" (“Sonia Sotomayor.” Oyez). Sotomayor is determined to do what she believes to be just. This is proven by her heavy dislike of harassment, brutality and most things physically harmful to any participating party. She will do whatever she wishes to, not stopping for anything. “In April 2018, Justice Sotomayor suffered a shoulder injury from an accidental fall. Regardless, she was present for all major arguments that came before the court for the duration of the month” (“Sonia Sotomayor.” Oyez). Her dedication to her life was shown when her duties were completed even though injury was sustained. She would have been forgiven if she did not do her job, however, she did anyway. Sonia Sotomayor’s dedication is without a doubt one of the many impressive aspects of her accomplishments, as it is the single thing which has held people together, including herself.

One person can achieve a lot with just their character, and that is what Sonia Sotomayor did. She managed to pull herself up and become a hero from almost nothing. Sonia is unrelenting in her pursuit of all things right. Her determination easily rubs off on others and her ideals are guided by her own ideas. She should be titled “inspiration” because of her feat of managing to be the first Latina on the Supreme Court. “Nominated as the next Supreme Court Justice by President Barack Obama, she was confirmed in August of 2009 by a vote of 68 to 31. The first Hispanic woman on the Court” (“Sonia Sotomayor.” Biography). This accomplishment inspires others to be the first in doing an important activity such as what she managed to do. Sonia Sotomayor inspires me by creating a want to be the first to do an activity of importance. She makes me want to succeed and go beyond with all I do, and others. Sonia Sotomayor’s character and ideals managed to bring her above and beyond. And now she inspires others to do the same.

Works Cited

"Sonia Sotomayor." Newsmakers, vol. 4, Gale, 2010. Biography In Context,            

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618005195/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=67

ec17a. Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.

"Sonia Sotomayor." Encyclopedia of World Biography, vol. 32, Gale, 2012. Biography In

Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631009827/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=cd14f979. Accessed 26 Mar. 2019.

"Sonia Sotomayor." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2014. Biography In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000306666/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=16 9641c. Accessed 26 Mar. 2019.

"Sonia Sotomayor." Oyez, 22 Mar. 2019, www.oyez.org/justices/sonia_sotomayor.