Sonia Sotomayor has been confirmed today as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the first Hispanic to join the court, according to CNN. (See EdWeek‘s story by my colleague Erik W. Robelen here.) No doubt, some Latino youths, and other youths as well, will take note and may pay attention to how working hard in school contributed to her success.
At least U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said that, in the same way the interest in education of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama has caused some youths to see education as “cool and hip again,” Sotomayor’s confirmation may cause a “Sotomayor effect.”
“I hope that in Latino communities, parents and kids are going to start talking soon about the ‘Sotomayor effect,’ ” Duncan said in a July 31 speech to National Council of La Raza, according to a transcript. “Judge Sotomayor’s story is impressive in so many ways. But I love what she has said about the power of education.”
So the possibility of the “Sotomayor effect” really has the chance to take off today, with the confirmation.