On Friday I had the privilege to listen to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who was at Bryn Mawr to receive the Katherine Hepburn Medal. She started out by telling us the key advice that we could find in her book. The advice that stuck with me the most was her advice about friendship.

Justice Sotomayor said that in college we would make some lifelong friends and that we should cherish them. She also challenged us to have meaningful and deep conversations with our friends and then to stay in touch with them as we go throughout life.

This touched me because lately I have been thinking about and evaluating all of my friendships. Why? I want to make sure that all of my relationships are purposeful and meaningful. I also want to know that who I choose to surround myself with are people that can encourage me to grow and people that I can encourage to grow.

Besides the advice about friendship, Justice Sotomayor had a message of perseverance and sticktoitiveness. She also talked about owning her cultural and gender identity and recognizing that there are glass ceilings in the “real world” but that she has been able to permeate those spaces.