 Sotomayor was raised a Catholic and grew up in Puerto Rican communities in the South Bronx and East Bronx ; she self @-@ identifies as a " Nuyorican " . The family lived in a South Bronx tenement before moving in 1957 to the well @-@ maintained , racially and ethnically mixed , working @-@ class Bronxdale Houses housing project in Soundview ( which has over time been thought as part of both the East Bronx and South Bronx ) . Her relative proximity to Yankee Stadium led to her becoming a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees . The extended family got together frequently and regularly visited Puerto Rico during summers . 
