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Herstory in the Making

Montage of women's faces

03/08/2021

Women have powered UMass Lowell since its founding in 1894, when they entered the Lowell Normal School as aspiring teachers for public schools and were taught by pioneering women faculty. As the university expanded over the next 125 years, women’s roles did, too.

Now, under the leadership of Jacquie Moloney, UMass Lowell’s first woman chancellor, women continue to advance across the university community. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting some of our brightest and bluest River Hawks.

Amazing Alumnae Exemplify River Hawk Spirit

Throughout the generations, UMass Lowell has graduated amazing women who have made an impact on the world and on their communities.

These Young Women have Just Begun their Journeys

  • Molly Tecce

    Molly Tecce

    Plastics Engineering

    Plastics Engineering major Molly Tecce and partners from the 3D Club leapt into action to make PPE when the pandemic struck.

  • Dannalee Watson

    Dannalee Watson

    Medical Laboratory Science

    Dannalee Watson loves working in hospital labs, where she analyzes patient samples for signs of disease. She says it’s like being a medical detective.

  • Kelsey Gonzalez

    Kelsey Gonzalez

    Public Health

    As a first-generation college student, Kelsey Gonzalez struggled to find a major she liked. Then she studied abroad – and came back determined to help other first-generation students.

  • Yrvanie Joseph

    Yrvanie Joseph

    Plastics Engineering

    Yrvanie Joseph is grateful for alumni scholarships because they confirm the value of her hard work and academic achievements.

  • Mayara Reis

    Mayara Reis

    Criminal Justice

    Criminal Justice major and community organizer Mayara Reis says the diversity at UMass Lowell let her be who she's supposed to be.

  • Linh Nguyen

    Linh Nguyen

    Computer Science & Mathematics

    Linh Nguyen developed a cloud-based market data tool — and a newfound interest in financial technology — through her data science experience with the Nasdaq Futures Internship Program.

UMass Lowell Looks to Balance the Scales

UMass Lowell Image

Center for Women & Work

The UMass Lowell Center for Women and Work is a community of scholars who are dedicated to advancing knowledge about the relationship between gender and work through research, enhancing understanding of this relationship through education and training, and challenging inequalities through institutional change.

Visit Center for Women & Work

Making WAVES logo

Making WAVES: Women Academics Valued and Engaged in STEM

Making WAVES is an initiative to increase diversity of faculty in STEM fields funded by the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Program. The $3.5 million, five-year grant allows researchers to advance the study of gender bias in the workplace.
Mentor points out something to two young women working on project

Research, Academics and Mentoring Pathways (RAMP)

Piloted in 2018, Research, Academics and Mentoring Pathways (RAMP), is a 6-week summer program that provides support to women entering the Francis College of Engineering with coursework, project work, mentoring, and networking with local companies and alumni.

Learn about RAMP

UMass Lowell Chancellor Jaqueline Moloney

Meet Chancellor Jacquie Moloney

For four consecutive years, UMass Lowell has been the highest-ranked educational institution among the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts, according to The Commonwealth Institute and Boston Globe Magazine. Jacquie Moloney, the chancellor of UMass Lowell, is a national leader in innovation in higher education. Appointed by a unanimous vote of the UMass Board of Trustees in 2015, she is the first woman to lead the university since its founding in 1894. Learn more about Chancellor Moloney.

Faculty Members Redefine Women's Work

Women's History Month highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8.