Notable Graduates
Graduates of the Sister colleges have received the Nobel Peace Prize and numerous Pulitzer Prizes. They are Olympic athletes, CEOs of major corporations, surgeons, artists, judges, mothers, scientists, and politicians:
- Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State (Wellesley)
- Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Labor (Mount Holyoke)
- Julia Child, chef, author and television personality (Smith)
- Judith Levenson Clapp, pioneering software engineer, MITRE Corporation (Smith)
- Hillary Clinton, Former U.S. Senator, current Secretary of State (Wellesley)
- Nora Ephron, screenwriter and novelist (Wellesley)
- Drew Gilpin Faust, president, Harvard University (Bryn Mawr)
- Thelma Golden, director and chief curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem (Smith)
- Nancy Gustafson, international opera singer (Mount Holyoke)
- Jane Harman, member of Congress (Smith)
- Katharine Hepburn, actress (Bryn Mawr)
- Madame Chiang Kai-shek, former first lady, Republic of China (Wellesley)
- Jhumpa Lahiri, author (Barnard)
- Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (Smith)
- Nita M. Lowey, member of Congress (Mount Holyoke)
- Margaret Mead, anthropologist (Barnard)
- Suzan-Lori Parks, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (Mount Holyoke)
- Candace Beebe Pert, internationally recognized neuroscientist (Bryn Mawr)
- Anna Quindlen, author and columnist (Barnard)
- Shazia Rafi, secretary-general, Parliamentarians for Global Action (Bryn Mawr)
- Kavita Ramdas, president and CEO, Global Fund for Women (Mount Holyoke)
- Alice Mitchell Rivlin, first director, Congressional Budget Office (Bryn Mawr)
- Dorothy Samuels, member, New York Times editorial board (Bryn Mawr)
- Diane Sawyer, journalist/news anchor (Wellesley)
- Elizabeth Shue, actress (Wellesley)
- Gloria Steinem, founder/publisher, Ms (Smith)
- Martha Stewart, chairwoman/CEO, Martha Stewart Omnimedia (Barnard)
- Twyla Tharp, dancer and choreographer (Barnard)
- Suzanne Vega, singer and songwriter (Barnard)
- Wendy Wasserstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (Mount Holyoke)
Graduates of the Sisters also are known for achieving numerous “firsts” that not only made history but also opened doors of opportunity for other women. This long list of pioneers includes the:
- first woman elected govenor in her own right: Mount Holyoke College graduate Ella Grasso, class of 1940
- first woman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the UN: Barnard College graduate Jean Kirkpatrick, class of 1948
- first female neurosurgeon in the U.S.: Bryn Mawr College graduate Dorothy Klenke Nash, class of 1922
- first woman appointed to a U.S. presidential cabinet post: Mount Holyoke College graduate Frances Perkins, class of 1902
- first woman to fly a jet plane: Smith College graduate Ann Baumgartner Carl, class of 1939
- first woman to be named U.S. Secretary of State: Wellesley College graduate Madeleine Albright, class of 1959