Central Islip, NY - September 10, 2013 - Yesterday was an exciting day for Central Islip, the home of Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, as United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited the area to receive the 2013 Bruce K. Gould Book Award for her autobiography My Beloved World. Students as well as Central Islip residents who attended the lecture and award presentation felt inspired and proud to have such as important national and influential figure in their neighborhood.
As a member of the Board of Governors of Touro Law Center and Legislator of the 9th District, Rick Montano (D-Brentwood) had the opportunity to welcome Justice Sotomayor into his district and chat with her. Montano is an attorney by profession, who obtained his Juris Doctors degree from Temple University. His experiences growing up were similar to Justice Sotomayor’s, which is why he understands and also values importance of education in order to achieve your goals.
“I met Justice Sotomayor during the swearing-in ceremony for my good friend and now U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Mari Carmen Aponte. It was an honor for me to welcome her to Suffolk County’s 9th District and Touro Law,” Montano said. “Justice Sotomayor is a true inspiration because of what she has accomplished through hard work and dedication. The Central Islip community was honored to host her. Justice Sotomayor’s visit will have a long-lasting effect in the memories of area residents.”
Justice Sotomayor was nominated to the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009 and assumed this role on August 8, 2009. She is the first Hispanic and third woman appointed to our nation’s highest court. In her autobiography, she is candid and displays intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice. Her book recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, as a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.
The Gould Award honors the best work of fiction or non-fiction of the past year on a law related subject. Justice Sotomayor was the fourth sitting Supreme Court Justice in the history of Touro Law to visit the school, but the first to visit the Central Islip campus.