Sonia Sotomayor & Giselle Bundchen Ranked As Forbes’ Most Powerful Latinas

By Michael Lopez

Ok, so only a handful of Latinas made Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women List, but it’s still quite an accomplishment and (hopefully) very inspiring for future female minority leaders (especially since Michelle Obama ranked #1). Sonia Sotomayor, Today Show host Meredith Vieira, and Giselle Bundchen were just a few of the ladies of Latin origin that made the list.

Image: AFP/Getty Images

Ranked at #19, Sotomayor has made quite an impact in the past year. Since being elected to the Supreme Court back in 2009, she’s already chimed in on several important verdicts, including Miranda Rights cases and First Amendment issues regarding campaign financing. Coincidentally, the newest female Supreme Court Judge, Elena Kagan, made an impact on the list too, ranking #25.

Portuguese businesswoman, Maria Ramos, was the next highest Latina, coming in at #32. As CEO of South Africa’s Absa Group Banks, she had worked her way up from chief executive of the state-owned rail, pipe, and ports agency, to the director of the South African National Treasury. She’s self-made, highly educated, and VERY wealthy.

The next Latina to make a dent is Today Show host Meredith Vieira, ranked at #40. Also of Portuguese descent, Meredith’s built up quite a respectable media career. She’ got nine Emmys from her CBS News days, has a huge following from her work on The View, and also currently hosts Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Other top ranking Latinas include Argentinian president, Cristina Fernandez (Ranked #68), Costa Rican president, Laura Chinchilla (Ranked #83), and Brazilian model Giselle Bundchen, who scored #72 for the $25 million she raked in from endorsements and her designer clothing line.

Image: Getty Images

And how about the ladies who made the Top 5? Well we already mentioned #1 Michelle Obama, which is pretty obvious, being the First Lady and all. She was followed by the CEO of Kraft Foods, Irene Rosenfeld, Oprah Winfrey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and our own Secretary Of State, Hillary Clinton.

Source: [Forbes]

Who are your biggest female role models? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Christina Fernandez, Cultura, Forbes, Gisele Bündchen, Laura Chinchilla, Maria Ramos, Meredith Vieira, Michelle Obama, Sonia Sotomayor