I ran through campus the other day barefoot with my heels in my hand. It was an all-out “I’m in a dress” sprint to get to my meeting with Justice Sonia Sotomayor on time. There were 25 other students there, and when I arrived, I grabbed a plateful of free food and settled in. And when I say settled, I mean I fidgeted for the next 20 minutes until she arrived.
The Justice made her way through our, now standing, circle of people. We told her our names and where we were from and she responded personally to each statement. That may not seem like much, but it was huge. Sotomayor immediately set us at ease, with warm and interested eyes that you could see searching for some quip to make about your hometown. Upon sitting, we went through a series of questions covering everything from her childhood experiences to current pieces of advice. One of my favorite things she talked about was the way in which young people– women in general– should avoid the comparison trap and to judge themselves by the quality of their work This is pretty widely said, but to hear from Justice Sonia Sotomayor added a whole other layer of gravitas.
Sotomayor spoke to us for the next 40 minutes, and she had so much wisdom to share. Her style of speaking is so intentional and warm, and without trope, that I immediately believed in anything she said. Justice Sotomayor also has a way of creating airtight arguments and beliefs, even for things that didn’t need defending. Inherent in her style of speaking was defense of her thoughts, beliefs, and even just general observations. It’s clear that her ability to hone these things in everyday speech is one of the reasons she sits on the Supreme Court.
Justice Sotomayor remarked, in her larger speech to Davidson, that the lack of civic engagement in our generation (an issue we’ve been nagged about many times) is one of the biggest problems in America. I’ve always wondered what one says when another person goes “I don’t believe in voting, like, what’s even the point?” Sotomayor responded, “Law affects you every day, and if you don’t exercise your responsibility, you’re letting someone else speak for you.” She went on to say that “law doesn’t happen to you, it happens because of you” and that law “is about helping establish good human relationships in society.” What a beautiful way of looking at the point of law… and, subsequently our participation in it.
Justice Sotomayor was such an engaging speaker who also engauged with her audience. As she talked, Justice Sotomayor was looking around, walking around, and taking photos with each person who asked her a question. She paced through the court of our basketball arena much like professors do through rows of desks. For the students who were seated there, this meant that everyone got to be close to her for at least a few minutes. A heartfelt thank you to the Justice for coming to our small, but mighty college. We are so proud to have hosted you, and even more grateful for your wisdom.