U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talks to law students and faculty during a daylong visit to UCLA School of Law Tuesday. Her schedule included a Q&A session, a student reception, lunch with the law faculty and a visit to a class on federal courts taught by Professor Jonathan Varat. Photos by Todd Cheney/UCLA Photo.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor shared stories about her life before joining the Supreme Court with students, faculty and staff at the UCLA School of Law Tuesday during a daylong visit.

She provided students with words of wisdom on how to achieve their own goals during a Q&A conversation moderated by Dean Rachel Moran.

  Sotomayor, who is the third woman and the first Latina to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, described her diverse career as a prosecutor, a federal judge and an appellate judge as well as her work in private practice before her appointment to the bench. To a packed audience — and many others listening to a broadcast of the discussion in an adjacent room for an overflow crowd — Justice Sotomayor offered a glimpse into her formative years, described the experiences that shaped her as a lawyer and jurist, and called on students to seek their own professional destinies.

Dean Rachel Moran (from the left) with Justice Sotomayor and Chancellor Gene Block, who introduced her at the Q&A session.

She recalled some of the obstacles she surmounted in order to get where she is today, including personal challenges that she writes about in her best-selling memoir, “My Beloved World.” Her book chronicles a remarkable journey from a housing project in the South Bronx, to Princeton and Yale Law School, and then to life as an attorney.

“We are extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to welcome Justice Sonia Sotomayor to UCLA School of Law, and we are grateful that she took the time to share her knowledge and insights with our students and the UCLA Law community,” Dean Moran said. “Justice Sotomayor’s fascinating discussion of her journey to the bench is motivational, and her ongoing commitment to encouraging others to pursue their dreams is an inspiration. I know that our students will always remember her historic visit.”

In addition to the Q&A session, another highlight of the day for UCLA law students was Justice Sotomayor’s visit to Professor Jonathan Varat’s federal courts class, where she observed a discussion on the issue of standing. She also met with student leaders throughout the day to learn about the innovative work going on at UCLA Law and to recognize their commitment to excellence and service. ____________________________________________________________________________________