In May, I was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. As the son of Cuban immigrants and a first-generation American, serving on the federal bench has been a dream come true.

Many factors motivated me to pursue a federal judgeship, not least of which was my experience clerking — almost 15 years ago — for an extraordinary judge in my district who, early on in my clerkship, made clear that his law clerks were part of his family. So when I got confirmed this year, a clerk family is exactly what I strived to create.