Alumni

It was March 2020, and Meghan Hodgson (NURS ’03) was working a regular night shift in the emergency room at her suburban New Jersey community hospital. But for the registered nurse, nothing about this night was normal.

A new book co-authored by Ryan Rydzewski (A&S ’09) captures the lingering lessons from Pittsburgh’s favorite teacher and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Diego Chaves-Gnecco, Carmelo Mesa-Lago and Vyasa Sai (ENGR ’13G) are working toward equality in health care and STEM fields.

Vjosa Osmani (LAW ’05, ’15), a respected voice in Kosovo’s political circles and around the globe, is the new president of her native land. She’s the second woman to hold the position.

Book excerpt: Pitt alumna Paria Hassouri’s (A&S ’94, MED ’99) memoir, “Found in Transition: A Mother’s Evolution During Her Child’s Gender Change,” weaves her story of growing up as an immigrant and outsider into her daughter’s story of gender transition.

Activist Wangari Muta Maathai (A&S ’65G) was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

As the first Black woman on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Doris Smith-Ribner (CGS ’70, LAW ’72) ordered a series of reforms that created a roadmap for equity in K-12 education. Another Pitt alumna paved the way.

Sisters Margaret and Stella Stein were the first women to attend the University of Pittsburgh, then known as Western University of Pennsylvania. They blazed a trail for all future Pitt women to follow.

In 2018, Pitt student Emily Klonicki was an intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory trying to make sure “freeloader” bacteria didn’t make it to Mars. Today, she’s a full-time NASA planetary protection engineer pushing the boundaries of science and tech.

Travel show producer and host Kim Haas (A&S ’90) brings the profound influence Africa has on Latin America to light in a new television series. Join a virtual discussion with her on Feb. 22.