On Election Night 2008, I cried tears of joy as I saw the realization of months of hard work on the campaign trail. I foresaw changes in foreign and economic policy and the power of lobbyists in Washington.

For these reasons, I joined Organizing For America, an organization set up to execute President Obama’s goals. What I didn’t foresee were the changes that Obama would make to my life as a lawyer and as a woman.

As a young Mexican girl from Nogales, Ariz., I participated in “Take Your Daughter to Work” Day, but I was skeptical that I could ever achieve much. Instead, I became a first generation college and law school graduate and have gone on to have a successful career.

Still, there seemed to be a disparity between the women and men in the field of law.

Then, President Obama passed the Lily Leddbetter Fair Pay Act, which finally guarantees equal pay for equal work regardless of sex. Then, beyond all hope, President Obama nominated a Latina woman to the Supreme Court �” a woman who has more federal judicial experience than any other justice in the last 100 years.

These two accomplishments, among the many that President Obama has achieved since he was elected one year ago, have touched me personally.

The culmination of my experience with President Obama so far was the opportunity to attend a party at the White House, at which I got to meet Justice Sotomayor, who shared a moment with me to exchange how elated we were to see how far women had come so quickly with a new administration.

I look forward to what the next three years bring.

Veneranda Aguirre

Tucson