In honor of Women’s History Month, here’s a list of five Maryland women worth celebrating!
Adele H. Stamp
The OG of Maryland Women. The Legend. Stamp was the first Dean of Women from 1922-1960 and made a huge impact by creating programs and events for the UMD’s female students. Notably, Stamp created the first Women’s Physical Education Club in addition to the Freshman Honor Society for Women, which is now the Maryland chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta. She became the first woman to be named Dean Emeritus, the highest honor for a faculty member, when she retired. Her success is evident; they even named the most important building on campus after her!
Connie Chung
This Terp Alum has had a stellar career in the field of journalism. After graduating in 1969, Chung started her career under Walter Cronkite during the Watergate Scandal. Chung went on to be an anchor on major networks like NBC and CNN. Known for her soft but hard-hitting approach to questions, she has interviewed a myriad of high profile people. A child of immigrants, Chung’s story is inspirational to first generation Maryland students.
Guiliana Rancic
The former E! correspondent graduated from UMD in 1996 with a degree in journalism. Aside from reporting for the entertainment channel for almost 10 years, Rancic is also an author and entrepreneur, with her own wine and fashion line. In 2011, she announced that she was in the early stages of breast cancer. She underwent a lumpectomy treatment, and was back to work the next week! Rancic’s strength shows that us Terps are capable of overcoming life’s biggest obstacles.
Dominique Dawes
This Olympic great graduated from UMD in 2002. Dawes was the first African American woman to win gold at the Olympics in gymnastics. While she perused a career in acting and modeling after graduation, Dawes has also used her fame to give back. From 2004 to 2006, she was the president of the Women’s Sports Federation, and in 2010 President Obama named her co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Dawes has even performed on Broadway! This Terp’s spectacular career shows that there is no limit to what Maryland alum can do.
Brenda Frese
It’s almost impossible to think about amazing UMD women and not think about Brenda Frese and her amazing women’s basketball team. Though not a Terp alum, she has coached over 1,000 wins for the program, earned 4 conference titles (2 each in the ACC and Big Ten), and a national championship. Frese even coached the team while pregnant with TWINS. Without of doubt, Frese inspires Maryland women of all ages with her work ethic and welcoming personality.
Now go out and be great! Who knows, you might be the next person to make this list!