Latinitas - Latinitas Leaders

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Role Models: Latinitas Leaders

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By Mary Mejia

Who: Sonia Sotomayor
Ethnic Background: Puerto Rican

Sotomayor has paved the way for Latinas by becoming the first Latina Justice on the United States Supreme Court after being nominated by President Barack Obama. She graduated from Princeton with honors, such as being a member of Phi Beta Kappa and earning the M. Taylor Pyne Prize. She was involved on campus with Puerto Rican organizations and entered Yale Law School after graduating from Princeton.

Who: Eva Guzman
Ethnic Background: Mexican

Guzman has been announced as the first Latina Justice on the Texas Supreme Court on Oct. 8. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and then graduated from South Texas College of Law. The Hispanic National Bar Association named her “Latina Judge of the Year.”

Who: Soledad O’Brien
Ethnic Background: Black, Cuban, Irish and Scottish

O’Brien is a CNN an anchor and special correspondent. Her most recent documentary, “Latinos in America,” will be aired on CNN on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. This documentary is about the struggles and contributions of Latinos. She has done many stories on people of color while working at CNN.

Who: Selena Gomez
Ethnic Background: Mexican and Italian

Gomez stars as Alex Russo in “Wizards of Waverly Place” and has also starred in movies, such as “Another Cinderella Story.” She is also in a band, Selena Gomez and the Scene, and has released her debut album, “Kiss and Tell.”

Who: Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Ethnic Background: Mexican

Rivas-Rodriguez is currently a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and is working a project that recognizes Latinos and Latinas in World War II, Vietnam and Korean War. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin, earned her Master’s degree at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and then obtained a Ph.D in mass communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The U.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project has provided many educational materials for kindergarten through eighth grade.

October 2009