Sonia Sotomayor: A Role Model for Embracing One’s Heritage

By Jessica Montoya Coggins

My mother is a beautiful Mexican-American woman who learned Spanish before English in a small town in New Mexico and was one of the first Latinas to graduate from Harvard Law School. Throughout my life, I witnessed how proud she is about being Latina, which has influenced everything from her politics to her culinary tastes. She instilled the same values in me, but when I was younger, I was never ready to embrace fully my identity as a Latina—especially at Harvard, where I went to college. My mother urged me to join La Raza and similar student groups, but I lacked the courage to follow through. I suppose I was a little afraid about being stereotyped.

After I graduated from college, I began to regret going against my mother’s wishes. It was about fifty degrees in Massachusetts the day of my graduation, and my family, including my maternal grandparents, made the trek from Dallas, Texas, where it was approximately fifty degrees warmer. The sight of my family bundled up in coats, shivering at the beginning of June, and yet still smiling as they watched me receive a diploma was what led me to add my mother’s maiden name, Montoya, to my name. Ever since that day, I have proudly proclaimed myself Latina.

The most amazing thing about Sonia Sotomayor, in my opinion, is that she has always embraced her Latina identity. While studying at Princeton, in a class that had just twenty other Hispanic students, Sotomayor served as co-chair of The Puerto Rican Club. Despite the stereotypes of Puerto Ricans at the time, Sotomayor never shied from her heritage. At college, Sotomayor took numerous classes to learn more about Puerto Rico and even wrote her thesis about it. In her dedication she wrote, “To my family, for you have given me my Puerto Rican-ness.”

Since my graduation, I have spent many moments reflecting on the importance of my own “Latina-ness.” When I watched Sotomayor take to the podium after her nomination and directly address her mother Celina, I felt that the world glimpsed the powerful bonds between a mother and daughter: two intelligent and motivated Puerto Rican women. As the elder Sotomayor shed some tears, I can admit that I did as well.

Sotomayor’s story is inspiring, but what makes her so special to me is that relationship she shares with her mother. After that initial announcement, Sotomayor could have stood before the audience and addressed all her numerous accomplishments that paved the way to the nomination. But instead, she gave thanks to her mother, and in doing so, she honored her “Puerto Rican-ness.” Girls everywhere can look to Sotomayor and learn that taking pride in who they are and where they come from will only bolster the joy they feel in accomplishing their greatest goals.

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Jessica Montoya Coggins, a former Girls Inc. volunteer, graduated from Harvard in 2008 with a degree in English Literature. She currently works at Univision Communications Inc. in a mentorship program for the client development group.