U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to appear at Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University will host a conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor Wednesday as part of a program aimed at first-year students, the university announced last week.

University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. will conduct a fireside chat-style conversation with Sotomayor at 1 p.m. in the Island Federal Credit Union Arena, according to a news release. The event will be free and open to first-year Stony Brook students, who may submit questions in advance.  

Sotomayor, 64, will be discussing her memoir, “My Beloved World,” which recounts her journey from growing up in a Bronx housing project to becoming confirmed in 2009 as the first Hispanic member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor also is the third woman to hold the position after Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Her book was assigned reading to first-year students as part of Stony Brook’s First Year Reading Program, which aims to provide a shared experience for all freshman, promote critical thinking and engage students in discussions of social values and ethics, according to the release. The program also focuses on helping students connect in-class and out-of-class experiences.