Judge Sonia Sotomayor said today that hard work and education have been the keystones to her success.
“On her own, my mother raised my brother and me,” Sotomayor said as she finally got to deliver her opening statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. “She taught us that the key to success in America is a good education. And she set the example, studying alongside my brother and me at our kitchen table so she could become a registered nurse.”
She said she “poured myself” into her studies at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, at Princeton University, and Yale Law School, while her brother, Juan, went to medical school.
“Our achievements are due to the values that we learned as children, and they have continued to guide my life’s endeavors,” Sotomayor said. “I try to pass on this legacy by serving as a mentor and friend to my many godchildren and to students of all backgrounds.”
Sotomayor went on in her relatively short statement—just over seven minutes—to stress her commitment to “impartial justice” and “fidelity to the law.” She steered clear of answering senators’ opening statements or any of the controversial points raised in advance of the hearing.
She’ll have plenty of chances for that beginning Tuesday. The hearing resumes at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.