There’s a reason why Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lucy Armendariz wears her hair down with hoop earrings while she’s talking on panels or in front of students: to show another representation of what a judge can look like.

“I hope this look becomes more of what a judge looks like … These sort of institutions were not built for judges like me to take the bench,” Armendariz said at an American Constitution Society event Tuesday on nontraditional pathways to judgeships. “But if you see me—and if I can do it, you can do it—and if I reach one person that way, I’ve done my job.”