When she was about to graduate from high school, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda I. Solis told the 2009 Hunter College graduating class, her guidance counselor advised her mother: “Your daughter is not college material. Maybe she should follow the career of her older sister and
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become a secretary.” Despite that, Solis said, her “ganas,” or desire to succeed, spurred her on to college and beyond. A daughter of immigrants, she became the first Latina elected to the California State Senate in 1994, representing Los Angeles’ 32nd congressional district. And earlier this year, she was tapped by President Obama for Labor, the first Hispanic woman to serve as a Cabinet member. “There are probably a dozen of you in this hall who are future Sonya Sotomayors and probably two dozen future Hilda Solises,” Solis told the graduates gathered at Radio City Music Hall.
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