Grace Hopper As A Role Model

Grace Hopper is one of the lesser known female pioneers in the computer science field. Not only did she become the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale, but she was also a military leader. Hopper is someone who should be a role model to all women wishing to work in a STEM field. Hopper was born Grace Brewster Murray in New York City, New York on December 9, 1906, meaning she lived through many of America’s most impactful events such as World War I, The Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. Hopper, Murray at the time, was fortunate enough to receive an adequate higher education. She studied math a Vassar College where she graduated in 1928, then went on to study at Yale and received a Master’s degree. She married Vincent Foster Hopper, and even kept his name even after their divorce in 1945. Hopper taught at Vassar College while continuing her studies at Yale where she became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1934 at the age of 28. Hopper ended up joining the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1943 during World War II (WWII), she chose that branch or the U.S. armed forces because that’s where her grandfather served. She was commissioned as a lieutenant in June of 1944 at the age of 37. Because of her mathematics background, Hopper was …show more content…
In 1997, the guided-missile destroyer, USS Hopper, was commissioned by the Navy in San Francisco. In 2004, the University of Missouri honored Hopper with a computer museum on their campus, dubbed “Grace’s Place.” Additionally, on her birthday in 2013, Hopper was remembered with a "Google Doodle" which would possibly be one of the greatest honors in our modern day. In 2016, Hopper was posthumously honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama. Because of all of her actions and the honors she has received, Hopper should be a great inspiration and role model to any young woman hoping to work in a STEM