On September 8th, Amherst students lined outside of Johnson Chapel an hour and a half before the suggest arrival time for an event. Students on the line shook nervously, wondering if all the seats would be taken before they could get inside of the building. Surprisingly, students did not line up anxiously like this for our Spring Concert last year that featured T-Pain. But who could be more interesting to Amherst students than T-Pain, obviously Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s story resonates with many Amherst College students. Sotomayor is a Puerto Rican women from the Bronx, New York who got accepted to one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, Princeton University. As a first generation college student, she learned to ask questions,study and adapt to campus life on her own. She needed to overcome self doubt, with the biggest question, whether or not if she was smart enough to be at Princeton. Sotomayor conquered every obstacle life threw at her and took every trophy life presented. The most prominent prize Justice Sotomayor received was becoming the third female and first Hispanic United States Supreme Court Justice.
Until Justice Sotomayor spoke at Amherst College, it was easy for me to forget that many students could identify with her life struggles. During her question and answer session, students asked, “What is it like being a woman in a male dominated field?” “How do you avoid your morals conflicting with your career choices?” “Do you feel a sense of responsibility as a Hispanic to fight for Hispanics or Latinos?”
The questions asked were personal. They represented the burdens that rested on the shoulders of Amherst College students. The young woman who participates in your Calculus class may worry that if she’s wrong she will affirm a misogynistic belief that women can do math. The AAS officer who has to follow the new rules about funding may feel overwhelmed when their own club can’t afford to bring in an important speaker. These struggles are not ones people can explicitly say because they may not know they are experiencing them. These kind of worries are so embedded in our psyche that we can’t express them until the opportunity arises.
Justice Sotomayor was that opportunity. Each question received she answered with grace. She spoke eloquently as she walked through the pews of Johnson Chapel and stared each of her listeners in their eyes. She talked to us like a mentor would her mentee. She included personal anecdotes that exemplified her advice in an humorous and/or thought provoking manner. While the Justice herself refuses to answer questions about role models, I believe that she is a great role model for Amherst College students.
Regardless of your background, there is something about Justice Sotomayor that can inspire you. Her autobiographical book, “My Beloved World,” is available to all students for free at the Multicultural Resource Center in Keefe. See what part of Justice Sonia Sotomayor you identify with, you maybe surprised what you find.