MHC Alumnae

Poet Emily Dickinson (1849)	Dr. Virginia Apgar '29	Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell '58
Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao '75	Pulizter Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein '71	Pulizter Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks '85

Notable Alumnae
Known for its accomplished alumnae, Mount Holyoke is the alma mater of:

• Poet Emily Dickinson (1849)
• Frances Perkins '02, the first woman to be appointed to a presidential cabinet
• Dr. Virginia Apgar '29, developer of the Apgar score, an internationally recognized test for evaluating the health of newborns
• Poet Virginia Hamilton Adair '33
• Ella Grasso '40, first woman governor elected in her own right
• Gloria Johnson-Powell '58, first African American woman to attain tenure at Harvard Medical School
• New York congresswoman Nita M. Lowey '59
• Nancy J. Vickers '67, president of Bryn Mawr College
• Elaine Tuttle Hansen '69, president of Bates College
• Labor secretary Elaine Chao '75
• Tony-, Obie-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein '71
• Opera star Nancy Gustafson '75
• Priscilla Painton '80, senior editor, national affairs, Time magazine
• Novelist Lan Cao '83
• Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist and MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" winner Suzan-Lori Parks '85

Worldwide Connections
With nearly 100 Mount Holyoke alumnae clubs in the U.S. and 24 clubs overseas, Mount Holyoke's network of more than 32,000 alumnae creates professional and personal opportunities for current students and graduates alike. All alumnae have access to an extensive online database of more than 17,000 alumnae who have offered to share their career and graduate school experiences. Arranged by geographic area, profession, employer, and graduate school, the database assists students and graduates who are exploring different careers, considering graduate schools, or making a career transition.

Postcollege
Approximately 40 percent of Mount Holyoke alumnae enroll in graduate, professional, and postbaccalaureate programs within five years of graduation; approximately 67 percent enroll within ten years of graduation. Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are among the graduate programs to which MHC sends many of its students. A survey of the class of 2003 showed that 94 percent were employed or in graduate school six to twelve months after graduation.

For more information on MHC alumnae, visit the Alumnae Association on the Web.