My alma mater, the University of Puerto Rico, has graduated some of the most influential and notable figure females of Puerto Rican history. What’s most interesting about researching these notable female alumni is that, often times, women are not credited for their amazing and history-making accomplishments. Because I love celebrating women, my idea for an article is now a series. So, in order to remember their impact and celebrate their legacy, here is the third part of “Notable Female Alumni of the UPR.”
1. Nilita Vientós Gastón
Nilita Vientós Gasón is a lawyer and author. Born in San Sebastian and raised in Cuba, Vientós earned her law degree from the University of Puerto Rico in 1945. When Vientós Gastón returned to Puerto Rico, she was hired by the UPR to become a literature professor. She was also hired by the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico, becoming the first woman to hold this position. She worked as an auxiliary prosecutor general for three decades. Vientós Gastón defended the use of the Spanish language in the courts of Puerto Rico before the Supreme Court and won. She was also a founding member of the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language. In 1946, Vientós Gastón became the first woman president of the Puerto Rican Athenaeum (Ateneo Puertorriqueño), a position that she held for 22 years, until 1961. Today, the bar association awards a prize in her honor to distinguished attorneys.
2. Sila María Calderón
3. Felisa Rincón de Gautier
The first woman to be elected as the Mayor of a capital city in The Americas. In 1946, she was elected mayor of San Juan. Under her leadership, San Juan was transformed into a Latin-American urban center. Rincón de Gautier designed innovative public services and also renovated the public health system, and she was responsible for the establishment of the School of Medicine in San Juan. Gautier was a firm believer in the women’s right to vote and was the fifth woman to officially register. Felisa started the tradition on Three Kings Day to bring gifts to underprivileged children. Through 1952-1954, she had plane-loads of snow delivered to San Juan so that the children who had never seen or played in snow would be able to do so.
4. Antonia Pantoja
Civil rights leader, Pantoja graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in Education, financed by the help of her wealthy neighbors. She later went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University. In 1961, Pantoja founded ASPIRA (“aspire” in Spanish), a non-profit organization; it is dedicated to promoting a positive self-image, commitment to communities, and education as a value. ASPIRA now has offices in six states and Puerto Rico. The organization’s headquarters, the ASPIRA Association, in Washington, D.C. It has provided approximately 50,000 Latino students with career, college, and other counseling assistance. Today, ASPIRA is one of the largest nonprofit agencies in the Latino community. In 1996, President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the first Puerto Rican woman to receive such an honor. Currently, she is credited as one of the most influential LGBT figures in Latin America.
5. Ana Roqué de Duprey
Duprey is a writer and one of the founders of the University of Puerto Rico. However, in 1932, the University of Puerto Rico awarded Roqué an honorary doctorate degree. She is credited to founding the College of Mayagüez (also known today as the Mayagüez Campus or Colegio, part of the UPR system) and also the Rio Piedras Campus. Born in Aguadilla, she learned how to write at the age of three. Being a gifted child, she was homeschooled. In 1864, at the age of 11, she became the youngest teacher’s assistant in Puerto Rico. In 1866, at age 13, she founded a school in her house. She also wrote a geography textbook for her students, which was later adopted by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. Ana also founded the Puerto Rican Feminist League, the first feminist organization in Puerto Rico dedicated to the issues of women’s rights. She was an avid supporter of the suffrage movement. As a matter of fact, thanks to her work, women were allowed to vote two years after her death. During her spare time, she practiced music and was passionate about astronomy. Roqué is considered both a prominent figure in arts and education in addition to science.
Women that have come before us have to be acknowledged and respected because they paved the way for future female leaders. These ladies have built our education system, inspired our youth and have overall made our country a better place. May we honor them and may they inspire others to do the same.