President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the empty seat on the Supreme Court bench was not only inspiring, but awakening. Obama’s choice makes me realize how much more this country is becoming truer to the foundation that it was established on. As the son of two working class immigrants from Honduras and Mexico, I am part of that history. Up until this past year, the thought of a person of color holding a seat in office or any high position of power seemed like a distant dream to me. Now we have a stunning example not only as president, but in the highest court of this country.

What truly inspires me is Sotomayor’s story. She and her brother were raised in the Bronx projects by their Puerto Rican mother, who struggled to put them through private school by working six days a week as a nurse. Her story reaffirms that we really are a melting pot of immigrants who have come together to create a better, fairer nation under whichever god you choose. She said that when she got to Princeton she felt as if she “was an alien on another planet.” I get where she’s coming from. I understand how hard it can be to assimilate to a new culture while at the same time trying to keep and appreciate the old one. Once, when my class and I won a scholarship to go to Washington D.C. to visit our nation’s capitol, we were shocked to find out that we were the only minorities in the program. To our surprise, that imbalance was reflected on Capitol Hill as well, where none of us could see our faces reflected in the crowds of white people. At first, it was a little scary actually realizing how my voice and my people weren’t being represented in this center of power. But, I eventually was inspired to take action and participate in politics in order to change the way things were and provide a space for minority voices. In a way, Sotomayor has become an inspiration to me because while she may not have come from the most ideal place, she made sure she never took what she had for granted and always remembered what she was fighting for.

Unfortunately, the attempts to “attack” her ability to fairly interpret the law points to a persistent prejudice in our society against minorities. Her job demands for an equal and fair ruling for all of the country. I think that to say that her background will interfere with her judgment is more a sign of the parochialism of her critics than her presumed biases. Contrary to what her opponents believe, her background and emotions will not prevent her from doing her job; instead, they will enhance the work of the Supreme Court by bringing a perspective different from that of those already on the bench.