“The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.”
Sonia Sotomayor
My parents and I come to the U.S. in the 80’s. In our country a civil war had caused the loss of jobs and security. My parents wanted to live in a country with freedom and opportunities. One of those opportunities was to receive an education. They did not have the same opportunities that I have had in this country. They did not receive the education they wanted, but they worked hard so that their daughters and son did.
In the previous post you read how Sylvia Mendez’s parents fought for their children to be accepted in public school. Years later, their struggle and that of my parents opened the doors so that I had the opportunity for an education.
The stories of the following Latinas show us how their mothers’ dedication to education led them to succeed. Women who have created history and are an example of perseverance.
Ellen Ochoa, is an astronaut, scientist and inventor. On April 8, 1993, she became the first Latina woman in the world to go to space. She was aboard the Discovery for a total of nine days. And, as if her first pioneer mission was not enough, in 2013 she became the first Latina director and second director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Ochoa was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1958. Her paternal grandparents were Mexican immigrants.
In her teens, Ochoa fell in love with science, mathematics and the flute. Her mother believed in a good education. Ellen says, “My mother was the one who influenced me the most. Her primary focus was to enjoy learning. That’s what I got from her example.”
She also says that her grandparents, “…came to the United States to raise their family. Together with my mother’s passion for learning, I had the opportunity and motivation to educate myself and set high goals. ”
Her goals, determination and work led her to be accepted by NASA in 1990. A year later she was an astronaut.
Today there are six schools that bear her name in several states. Also, in 2017, her name entered the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. There, she accompanies legends like Neil Armstrong and John Glenn.
Sonia Sotomayor
(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Sonia Sotomayor, made history in the United States when she became the first Latina judge in the Supreme Court. Sotomayor, is the daughter of Puerto Ricans and grew up in a humble New York neighborhood in the Bronx. Sonia lost her father at an early age and her mother worked hard to educate her two children. Her mother, a telephone operator and nurse, raised her alone, and always emphasized the importance of education.
Sotomayor graduated from Princeton University. There she also received the Moses Taylor Pyne Award, the greatest academic honor granted to students who will receive a degree.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated her as Federal Judge in the District of New York. She was confirmed in 1992. Thus becoming the first Puerto Rican American to reach the Federal Courts.
In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated her as Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. She was confirmed by the Senate in 2009. Sotomayor became the first Latina woman to reach such a high position.
During her time in the Supreme Court, Sotomayor has worked tirelessly to be a voice for women and ethnic minorities in the reform of criminal justice.
Ellen Ochoa and Sonia Sotomayor motivate us the push through. We hear in their lives the cry of Dolores Huerta, Yes we can! May our sons and daughters use these women’s examples to influence history. May they use their voices to motivate change in the U.S. and the world.
Yes we can!
Stay tuned to the next word…
