It hasn’t always been easy—or equitable—for women seeking an education, but there are trailblazers who changed the course of history and the world. Do you know who they are? Here’s a chance to test your knowledge by matching the name with her accomplishments.
Answers: 1H, 2F, 3C, 4I, 5B, 6G, 7A, 8E, 9D
Mary McLeod Bethune
Founder of Bethune-Cookman University and recognized as the “first lady of the struggle” for her commitment to improving the lives of African Americans through education
Ruby Bridges
Breaking down the walls of segregation in American education, she was the first African American student to attend an all-white public school
Fanny Jackson Coppin
Former slave who was among the first black women to earn a college degree and dedicated herself to educating those previously enslaved
Susan Hockfield, Ph.D.
First female Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Patsy Mink
Dedicated Title IX champion
Alice Palmer
Cofounder and president of the American Association of University of Women and dedicated to ensuring women earned college degrees as a gateway to self-reliance
Lucy Diggs Slowe
Created the first black junior high school and was the first African American woman to be named Dean of Women at Howard University
Lucy Wheelock
Early childhood education advocate of the 20th Century
Ella Flagg Young
First woman to serve as superintendent of a major urban school district (Chicago)