Retired Superior Court Judge Shares Journey in New Career Connections Series
For recently retired Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Deborah Sanchez, the road to a college degree was a bumpy one fraught with personal struggles and stacked odds.
Sanchez experienced domestic violence and was a teen mother on welfare. But she was many other things as well. Although she didn’t know anyone who had attended college when she was growing up, Sanchez was smart, determined to make life better for her and her son, and fortunate to have the support of her family in the pursuit of her goals.
“My parents always told me to do what you love and the rest will follow,” Sanchez said. “That message doesn’t always reach young people.”
Sanchez spoke to students and staff about her journey to becoming a judge on March 6, kicking off a new series at Cal Poly Pomona called Career Connections, which features Native American professionals sharing their stories. She is a descendant of the Chumash, O’odham and Raramuri people, tribes who have origins in central coastal California, Arizona and Northern Mexico, respectively, and has been teaching the Šmuwič Chumash tribal language since 2010.
The Los Angeles native shared how she and her mother, Georgiana Sanchez, attended Cal State Long Beach at the same time, with her mother graduating two years after Sanchez, and that her father later pursued a college degree as well. Sanchez studied sociology at Long Beach and went to Loyola Law School for her law degree. She is currently completing a master’s degree in linguistics at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sanchez talked about the mentorship she received in law school, how she felt when she passed the bar on the first try, and her time on the bench and how she brought her “medicine” to the courtroom, which helped her be a better listener and more compassionate.
“You bring your medicine wherever you go,” she said. “Medicine is who we are as a people, how we are in the world, how we treat the planet and how we treat creation. If you keep your medicine good, the opportunities will be there. Do what you love, and that will bring you what you need.”
The Career Connections series is the brainchild of Desiree Martinez, CPP’s tribal relations director, and Ethnic and Women Studies Professor Sandy Kewanhaptewa-Dixon.
“It all starts with Sandy,” Martinez said. “Sandy has been doing different types of events, hosting elders and scholars in residence for years. We want students to be exposed to Native American leaders but also get some good career advice.”
Dixon, (Hopi and Sun clan), will speak at the April 16 event, sharing her career journey in education, from teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District to working at the Bureau of Indian Affairs to serving as an administrator at Sherman Indian High School in Riverside County and Noli Indian High School in San Jacinto. She was appointed by President Soraya M. Coley to serve as CPP’s tribal liaison and to the NAGPRA Cal Poly Pomona Campus Committee by the Native American Heritage Commission.
The hope is that the series, which is open to all students, will provide inspiration and highlight the work of potential mentors.
“The message is never give up,” Dixon said. “Despite the obstacles, students have the ability to go forward. Education is one key way to help them break through that ceiling. It also helps with the biases about Native Americans being successful.”
The next Career Connections event is set for April 16 from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the SSB’s multipurpose room 1969. RSVP to attend. CPP students RSVP on MyBAR: https://mybar.cpp.edu/event/11213104
Other students RSVP at: https://tinyurl.com/SandyDixon