All Latinos know this story. The details may differ but the themes are the same.

As Celina Sotomayor, Sonia's mom, recounts in an interview in today's El Diario, she moved to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. Her husband, a factory worker, died when Sonia was 9 years old. Celina raised two kids in a public housing project in the South Bronx while at the same time working and studying to be a nurse.

The Sotomayor story is one of courage and sacrifice by a pioneer generation – a generation that braved daily struggles in a new land for the sake of a better future for their children. It is the story of the generation that left the homeland blind in the faith that their children would have a better shot here in the United States. It is a story about the triumph of a family over hard fate and privation; and a reminder of the importance of education to opening doors and making dreams come true.

But the Sotomayor story is particularly resonant for Hispanic women.

After her husband's death, Celina Sotomayor watched over her two kids. She put a roof over their heads and food on the table. She guided them through the pitfalls and temptations of American adolescence. Like so many Latina women, she was the rock that held the family together.

Celina's daughter, Sonia, had to keep proving herself at institutions dominated by men – Princeton University, Yale Law School, the Manhattan DA's office, the New York bench. Each step required hard work and an unshakeable confidence.

For mother and daughter, there were few Latina women who could serve as role models to help guide their journeys. But today, thanks to their struggles and hard work, we can say to our daughters – study hard and you can go as high and as far as Judge Sonia Sotomayor.