Sonia Sotomayor

This American justice shows startups how to rise from difficulty and never take no for an answer.

Sonia Sotomayor is currently an associate justice of the US Supreme Court. She is the first Hispanic and Latina Justice to ever hold the position.

Sotomayor arose from a difficult childhood. Born in the Bronx, she lived in a housing project and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 7. Her father died when she was 9.

Sotomayor was inspired by the Nancy Drew book series, as well as the Perry Mason courtroom drama. She knew she wanted to be an attorney at just 10 years old. After high school, she got a full ride to Princeton, and later received another scholarship to Yale Law School.

Despite little female or Hispanic representation in these spaces, Sotomayor never gave up. Her tenacity would pay off: she was ultimately only the second jurist to be nominated to 3 different judicial positions by 3 different US presidents.

Sotomayor is an inspiring example of paving the way for new voices to be heard. This is exactly the spirit a startup should embody!