Sonia Sotomayor Essay

Thesis: Sonia Sotomayor was a very influential woman. Because of her childhood struggles, Sotomayor was appreciative towards the Hispanic culture, leading to a high title in the Supreme Court.
I. Early Life

A. Sonia Sotomayor was born in New York on June 25, 1954.
1. Her parents were Juan and Celina Sotomayor, who were both from Puerto Rico.
2. Her mother was a nurse at a doctor’s office and her father worked at a machine shop.
3. When Sotomayor was nine, her father died suddenly.
4. At age seven, Sotomayor was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, a disease that effects the productivity of your pancreas.
5. When Sotomayor was young, she decided that she wanted to be an attorney.
6. Her interest in law was inspired by the Perry Mason television

show.

II. Early Schooling

A. Sonia Sotomayor valued education as well as her parents.
1. Sotomayor attended Blessed Sacrament Elementary, which was a Catholic school.
2. In 1972, she graduated as valedictorian at Cardinal Spellman High School.
3.

Sotomayor was involved in student government as well as the forensics team.

III. College

A. Sonia Sotomayor considers college as a “life changing experience”.
1. Sotomayor earned a full scholarship, and enrolled at Princeton University.
2. At Princeton, she was involved in Accion Puertorriquena, a organization specifically for Puerto Rican students.
3. She also was in the student government and worked at the admissions office.

IV. Marriage

A. Sonia Sotomayor married the love of her life, whom which she had dated since high school.
1. Just after graduating, Sotomayor married Kevin Edward Noonan, on August 14, 1976.
2. Her full name was now Sonia Sotomayor de Noonan.
3. Her husband became a biologist and a lawyer.

V. Law School

A. Once again, Sonia Sotomayor enrolled at Yale Law School on a full scholarship.
1. She entered Yale in 1976.
2. At school, Sotomayor was known as a hard worker, and she fit in well.
3. She was editor of the Yale Law Journal, and the co-chair of an organization which consisted of Asian, Latin, and Native American students.
4. In her second year, she had a summer job working for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
5. On her evaluation, she described working there as “a kick in the teeth”, and never got offered a full time

job.
6. Her experience pushed her to work harder in Law School, and to focus on her studies.
7. In 1979, Sonia Sotomayor graduated from Yale Law School.

VI. Early Careers

A. Sonia Sotomayor worked small cases dealing with drugs, crime, and assaults.
B. Sotomayor started Sotomayor & Associates in 1983, and soon divorced her husband because of her fifteen hour days.
C. She handled cases for family and friends, and dealt with legal work.
D. In 1984, Sotomayor