TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — When Judge Sandra Ávila Ramirez puts on her robe in Travis County’s 98th District Court, she's not just stepping into the courtroom--she's carrying the weight of a lifetime shaped by struggle and strength.

The daughter of migrant farmworkers from the Rio Grande Valley, she was a firsthand witness to injustice.

"You go through some childhood traumas, you see certain things...especially with women and children,” Ramirez said. “That really made me want to protect and hold people accountable."

She now uses those memories as a lens to help guide how she sees and supports youth who come before her bench.

"They're still, learning. They're still maturing. And so when they make mistakes or when they do what they've been taught to do and then they get in trouble, you want

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