Representation is Important, Thank You to the Women of the 116th Congress

11Jan
by Biane Arias

When I was in Middle School, Justice Sonia Sotomayor assumed office as a Supreme Court Justice. I remember watching on Univision with  excitement seeing a Latina become a Supreme Court Justice. After seeing her, I looked up at my parents and said “Quiero ser una abogada” (“I want to be an attorney”). The thought that someone who looked like me was part of the highest court in the United States was an empowering feeling. For the first time in my young pre-teen days, I was focused on school because I wanted to become an attorney when I was older.

As a senior at the University of California, Riverside, watching a new wave of women sworn into the 116th Congress gave me the same feeling of empowerment and hope as I had when Sonia Sotomayor was sworn into the Supreme Court.

Seeing women such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Deb Haaland, Sharice Davids, Veronica Escobar, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Katie Hill, Sylvia Garcia, Rashida Tlaib, and many more women making #Herstory is incredibly inspirational.

I hope girls in elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools everywhere are watching the new wave of female legislators in Congress and thinking that one day they can be in their shoes.

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Biane Arias

Biane Arias is a first-generation student at the University of California-Riverside. Biane is extremely proud to be from Pico Rivera, California. She is a Political Science with an emphasis in Public Service major. Biane credits the amazing teachers and staff of the El Rancho Unified School District for helping her succeed and realize her passion for politics. Biane is an aspiring Public Servant, and Attorney. At UCR, Biane works at Undergraduate Admissions, and she previously worked at EAOP and the Moreno Valley Unified School District. Currently, Biane is a part of IGNITE's Southern California College Council.

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