Justice on Campus

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 6, 2017) – UAlbany welcomed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to campus on Tuesday for the latest installment of the University’s Speaker Series and a private discussion with students, faculty and staff.

Speaker Series:

Sotomayor addressed a sold-out crowd of more than 4,500 at SEFCU Arena on Tuesday night.

While circling the arena and shaking hands, the Justice spoke about everything from facing sexism and the challenges of diabetes, to her love of baseball and jazz.

She encouraged the audience to value each minute of life you are given.

“We don’t know when our last day will be,” Sotomayor said. “We should take every moment of our life and squeeze as much out of it as we can. A new experience. Something that we’ve learned that gives us further insight. Meeting people that enrich us and make us grow. That should be all of our lives, but we often forget it.”

The event was free and open to UAlbany students, faculty/staff, alumni and the general public. It was moderated by New York State Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl.

Private Discussion:

Prior to the Speaker Series event, Sotomayor met with a small group of students, faculty and staff who have incorporated her memoir “My Beloved World,” into their studies.

The lively discussion let participants into the Justice’s personal world and explained the path she’s taken to reach the Supreme Court. It was followed by a book signing and a group photo opportunity.

“The point of life is to grow as a person every day,” Sotomayor told the group. “If you aren't growing you are wasting your time. Even today, I am still growing as a Supreme Court Justice.”

The group presented Sotomayor with a framed photo from their discussion. Additional free copies of her memoir were distributed to the Speaker Series audience.

Interested in seeing more from Tuesday’s events? View a photo gallery featured on the Albany Times Union website here.

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