The Next World-Changing Supreme Court Justice May Be in Your Class Right Now!

Since Friday’s passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I know many of us have been reflecting on her life, legend and legacy. Making her a myth obscures the journey that likely, in part, drove Justice Ginsburg’s work. She was the daughter of an emigrant furrier born in Ukraine and a first-generation American garment worker whose family was from Poland. Born to a family that could not afford to send her to college, she funded her own education. After achieving great success, she stopped out of her academic journey. As a military spouse, and later, when her husband fell ill, she balanced the roles of caregiver, mother to a young daughter and as a student. At a time when women were uncommon in college, law school or in the workplace, she faced explicit bias and discrimination. Nothing came easy to her; every step of the journey was a challenge. It is easy to read the outline of Justice Ginsburg’s story and see similarities to so many NOVA students.

I keep coming back to an observation Justice Ginsburg made about her own path to becoming a lawyer: “I went to law school when women were less than 3% of lawyers in the country; today, they are 50%. I never had a woman teacher in college or in law school.” From her own experience, Justice Ginsburg knew that it mattered when people saw themselves reflected in roles they could barely aspire to achieve given their own life circumstances. She knew that—in more informal parlance—it’s hard to be it if you don’t see it. She understood from hard won experience that opening the door of opportunity was only one part of the equation: someone needs to be on the other side of that door welcoming you, understanding you and making sure that you’re included.

As we celebrate and honor Justice Ginsburg, we should remember that she was once a student struggling to be heard, seen and recognized. The next Ruth Bader Ginsburg may be in our classes right now, someone whose bold brilliance will shine only if it encounters the right light. Thank you for being that light for NOVA students. Your belief in them, your commitment to inclusive excellence and empathy, your dedication to diversity—all change the trajectory of our students’ lives and power the future. When our students see themselves in you, are understood by you, are welcomed by you, are nudged by you to achieve more than they ever imagined, there is no dream too big. Thank you for ensuring our students know they matter to NOVA and that they, too, can change the world.