thing to watch that certain something blossom in a girl ... one of those often fleeting moments when a girl owns her own power . For me , the decision to wear my own `` Wise Latina '' T-shirt raises all kinds of issues . It makes me confront a past that I have known for decades . Deep down inside , I , like many other Latinas , struggle with my own very deep insecurities in relation to my white male colleagues . I think after witnessing history on television for the past two weeks , those insecurities have pretty much dissipated . Sonia Sotomayor has blazed the trail . I ca n't go back to thinking that way , anymore , ever . Before , when I told people that I was a Latina , I never knew what , if any , image they might have in their mind . Everyone carries stereotypes and preconceived notions . But now when I say to people that I am a Latina , might they immediately think , `` A wise Latina '' ? My daughter is learning all of these lessons from Sotomayor , a Puerto Rican woman .
Editor 's note : Maria Hinojosa , an award-winning journalist and author , joined NOW on PBS as senior correspondent in 2005 . Hinojosa , who formerly covered urban affairs for CNN , also serves as anchor and managing editor of National Public Radio 's `` Latino USA , '' a weekly national program reporting on news and culture in the Latino community . Maria Hinojosa says Sonia Sotomayor 's success has helped boost self-confidence for many . NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's a question I never thought I would ask my daughter . But I loved being able to ask it . `` Yurema ? '' `` Yes , Mom , '' my 11-year-old daughter said . `` Tell me what T-shirt you would most like to wear : one that says ' I am a Wise Latina , ' ` My Mother is a Wise Latina ' or ` Sonia is a Wise Latina ' ? '' She cocked her head slightly and then quickly said , `` I am a Wise Latina . '' Eleven years old , and this is the vision she already has of herself . It 's a pretty wonderful