1926: Pioneer

Margaret Ursula Macgrath was one of the first students to enroll in Boston College’s “Graduate School,” which opened in September 1925. A year later, the 1900 Mt. Holyoke graduate became the first woman to earn a degree from Boston College. Her M.A. (the subject of which is not recorded) was one of the 262 degrees awarded at the 49th commencement, held June 16. Macgrath was not alone though. Olivia Catherine Pennell, a 1921 graduate of Boston University, also earned an M.A. that day. However, because diplomas were handed out alphabetically, Macgrath holds the distinction of being the first.