Articles - Sharon L. Kennedy

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon L. Kennedy visited Northwest High School in Cincinnati on April 25, 2014. In addition to meeting with students in their classrooms, Justice Kennedy also participated in a panel discussion along with other Northwest Alumni. During the discussion, she reflected on her path after high school that led her to the Supreme Court.

"One of my teachers here at this school told me I could be a lawyer and a judge someday," she said, going on to describe her decision to go into law enforcement, and eventually attend law school.

"I believe it is an honorable thing to choose a life-long profession of protecting people," Justice Kennedy said. "But I also believed I could do even more by serving as a lawyer."

When asked to talk about how she has dealt with difficulties along the way, Justice Kennedy said: "It's not a question of whether obstacles will arise. They will. It's a question of how you choose to see them. For me, obstacles become opportunities to rise."

Justice Kennedy left the students with a parting word of advice: "See where you want to go, believe you can achieve it, believe you deserve it, settle your fears, look at challenges as opportunities, and live carpe diem."

Justice Kennedy is serving her first term on the Supreme Court of Ohio. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy served on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division from 1999 to 2012. Justice Kennedy served as the administrative judge there from 2005 until December 2012. Justice Kennedy began her career in the justice system as a police officer in Hamilton, Ohio. She received her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.