For the first time in the history of the United States, a Black woman has been confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice as the Senate voted (53-47) to approve President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Thursday. Jackson will take office when Justice Stephen Breyer retires in the summer.

“I think the diversity that is being shown with her confirmation to the court gives people of color, a person to look to,” assistant principal Phil Brown said. “I think it shows our students that you can achieve anything in this country that you set your mind to. I also think diversity actually gives us the opportunity to see the point of view of all the people who are different and that way the voices of other people can be heard.”

For AP U.S. Government teacher Amanda Peters, Jackson’s confirmation is another step towards the Founding Father’s ambition laid out in the U.S. Constitution. 

“I think it’s a monumental day. Not only is she a woman, but she’s a person of color, [highlighting] the American story,” Peters said. “We are striving for a more perfect union, and every time we have an event or a milestone that helps us get to that point. I think that it builds on the idea and the hope that our founders had for the more perfect union.” 

Jackson’s nomination is inspiring to female students on campus such as junior Riya Khosla.

“There was such an upheaval over her nomination and it still being protested during her hearings, she was still elected,” Khosla said. “I think that shows me and a lot of people, or women of color, that despite potential setbacks that may occur because of what we look like or who we are, it creates some hope for us to potentially accomplish things that we initially thought we couldn’t and to make a difference in the world.”