Kidsday kids interview Justice Sotomayor

Amelia Cossentino, 11, of Malverne, missed a mandatory music rehearsal on Saturday afternoon, but she did get an excuse note -- from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Amelia was one of four Kidsday reporters from Valley Stream school district 13 who interviewed Sotomayor at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, where she'd come to promote her new autobiography, "My Beloved World."

For the students, being the only reporters to talk with her privately was more than exciting. As Randy Kublall, 11, of Elmont, put it, "She loves people, her smile was so big and proud. She shook my hand at least three times!"

They also found her story inspiring, said Jessica Sossi Romano, 12, of Franklin Square: "She mentioned if she can do it, anyone else can do it, too."