Sandra Day O'Connor

Hello! My name is Sandra Day O'Connor. When I was a little girl, I grew up on a huge cattle ranch in Arizona called the Lazy B. It was a big, sunny place with lots of dust and open land. I learned how to ride horses and help take care of all the animals. I even learned how to fix things when they were broken. Living on the ranch taught me how to be strong and figure things out all by myself.

I loved to learn and read books. I went to a big school called Stanford University and I worked super hard. When I finished school, I wanted to be a lawyer. A lawyer is someone who helps make sure rules are fair for everybody. A long time ago, it was hard for women to get jobs as lawyers, but I never, ever gave up. I knew I could do it, so I kept trying and trying until I found a job.

I worked as a lawyer and then a judge for many years. Then, in the year 1981, something amazing happened. The President asked me to be a judge on the most important court in the whole country. It is called the Supreme Court! I was the very first woman ever to have this special job. It was a big honor. I sat with eight other judges, and together, we made important choices for all the people in the United States.

I was a Supreme Court justice for a long, long time. I always tried my best to listen to everyone and make choices that were fair. I lived to be 93 years old. People remember me because I was the first woman on the Supreme Court. I hope my story shows you that you can be the first to do something amazing, too!