Where would we be today?

The life of a college student is always moving towards the future. From figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life to obtaining a degree and then finding a job. Even though we must always keep moving forward in order to complete our goals, it is just as important to take a look back and realize what it took in order for us to even pursue these aspirations. This holds special importance for female college students since in years past females were not even allowed to take up the professions that are now open for all of us. Where would we be without the women who paved the way and made it possible for us to follow our dreams, no matter what they are? How about we take a look at some Frostburg State University females and the women who have made their dreams possible…

There is no better place to start then myself. In case you do not formally know me, my name is Katie Deal and I am a senior law and society major from Salisbury, Pennsylvania. My goal is to one day work in law enforcement. This would not be possible without the trail-blazing work of Alice Stebbins Wells. On September 12, 1910 Wells was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Department and became the first female designated policewoman with arrest powers. Previously, woman could only work with police departments in the capacity of a social worker. Although there was much controversy surrounding her appointment, Wells promoted the need for female police officers and due to her work 16 other U.S. cities and several foreign countries began hiring female police officers by 1916. Because of her bold initiative, in 2004 the UCR reported that between 7.2% and 18% of uniformed officers are female (varying depending on city population).

Next, I wanted to look at the history behind the goals of FSU student Caitlin Weems. She is a senior from Oldtown, Maryland and she is pursuing her degree in psychology. The field of psychology would not be as open to women without the pioneering efforts of Margaret Floy Washburn. She was the first female to receive her Ph.D. in psychology. Before that, women such as Christine Ladd-Franklin (accredited with being the first American female psychologist) had to complete their work in psychology through other fields such as logic. Both Washburn and Ladd-Franklin made great contributions in the field of psychology such as Washburn’s theories of animal behavior and Ladd-Franklin’s work with the three disciplines of logic. Today, psychology seems to be a fairly balanced field when it comes to gender. Over the years, many more women have given something new to the field and this professional pursuit would not be possible without these two outstanding women.

Last, but by no means least, we have FSU student Savannah Maust. She is a junior from Salisbury, Pennsylvania and she is a member of the United States Army studying sports medicine. Savannah, A.K.A. Nan, hopes to create a career for herself in the Army upon graduation from FSU. It is hard to select a “first female soldier” since many women became the first to enlist in July 1948. However, Anna Mae Hays (pictured above) is quite a notable name in women’s studies and the Army. She was the first woman to be promoted to brigadier general. In a male-dominated field, Hays’ promotion proved in a way that women too have the ability to serve in a very distinguished capacity for our government. Recently, Ann E. Dunwoody became the first female four-star general in the United States Army and MSN reported at that time (2008) there were 21 female generals in the Army. Certainly the military field is still controversial when looking at the place of women within that career. However, the hard work of these women is slowly creating a higher level respect and opportunities for females in the military.

As college women, we must never forget that years ago we would not be allowed to go to college, to be a part of the career we have chosen, or to be able to excel within our chosen field. The several historic women and professions I have mentioned above are only the tip of the iceberg. There are many more women who have broken ground with their occupations. Furthermore, there are still uncharted territories for women to explore (such as President of the United States!) and the inspiration of our predecessors will hopefully empower our generation to bridge even more of those gaps.

*All credit for the photograph of Anna Mae Hays goes to the General Officer Management Office, Department of the Army.