Arcadia University is pleased to announce U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will visit campus on Oct. 22, 2013. A presentation also is planned; ticket information and times will be released at a later date. Justice Sotomayor’s My Beloved World has been selected as our Common Read for all incoming first-year and transfer students entering Arcadia in the fall of 2013. The book recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench.

This journey offers an inspiring testament to her extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself. “Welcoming Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to campus is a tremendous honor for Arcadia University,” said Dr. Nicolette DeVille Christensen, Chief Operating Officer of Arcadia. “Justice Sotomayor’s dedication to impacting the youth of our communities reflects the commitment of Arcadia staff and faculty to prepare students for a life of civic engagement and service.”

The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude and receiving the university’s highest academic honor, before earning her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. After serving as Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office, Sotomayor litigated international commercial matters in New York at Pavia & Harcourt, where she served as associate and partner. From 1992-98, she served on the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, before serving as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998–2009. She assumed her role as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on Aug. 8, 2009, less than three months after her nomination by President Barack Obama.