SAN ANTONIO – The legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lives on at the Judge Andy Mireles Law Magnet School at Fox Tech High School.
“It’s a time of grieving, but also a time of realization that there’s still so much work to do,” said Ciara Brown, a sophomore. “There’s still so much work to do and that our rights aren’t necessarily guaranteed and we still have to fight for them.”
Jade Cruz, a senior, said someday when she has a daughter, she can pass on Ginsburg’s spirit of determination and her commitment to gender equality.
“We deserve what we work for, just like anyone else,” Cruz said.
Justice Ginsburg reinforced what Brown said she’s always believed.
“I wanted to make sure that people are getting treated fairly and that people are receiving justice,” Brown said, which is why she chose the law magnet school. “It just fit me perfectly."
Cruz said, “She was always striving to be better than she already was.”
Brown said she wants to become a lawyer. Cruz said she wants to work at the FBI.
Jennifer Casanova, their teacher and law magnet school coordinator, said she’s proud of both their accomplishments in mock trial and mock legislation competitions.
Casanova was among 30 teachers selected five years ago to be there as decisions were handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Later at a private reception for the Supreme Court Society’s teachers institute, Casanova said she was “blessed and honored” to meet Justice Ginsburg.
She said some young women may not truly appreciate the liberties that Justice Ginsberg made possible, such as buying a home, applying for credit, or opening a bank account, on their own.
“These are things that we take for granted now that she never wanted us to take for granted,” Casanova said. “She wanted us to continue to fight to ensure that equality and respect for all is what we want to see in our country.”