Notable Alums
How will you make your mark?
Mount Holyoke alums have always challenged the status quo. Scientists. CEOs. Politicians. Entrepreneurs. Pulitzer-Prize winners. Oscar winners. And everything in between. The worldwide Mount Holyoke alumnae network is a force for change in ways big and small.
Virginia Apgar
Class of 1929
Inventor of the Apgar Score for newborns
Emily Dickinson
Class of 1849
One of the greatest and most original poets of all time
Ella Grasso
Class of 1940
First woman elected U.S. state governor in her own right
Susan Kare
Class of 1975
Pioneer of pixel art and graphical computer interface
Nita Lowey
Class of 1959
U.S. Representative and the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee
Frances Perkins
Class of 1902
First woman Cabinet member, U.S. Secretary of Labor, and creator of Social Security
Suzan-Lori Parks
Class of 1985
First Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Janet Litster Rideout
Class of 1961
Organic chemist and patent holder of AZT
Jean Sammet
Class of 1948
Co-developer of the computer programming language COBOL
Barbara Smith
Class of 1969
Co-founder of the Combahee River Collective and co-author of the Combahee River Collective Statement
Wendy Wasserstein
Class of 1971
Tony-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner
Chloé Zhao
Class of 2005
The first woman of color to win an Academy Award for best director