News / Famous Firsts
News
- Michelle Obama’s Advice to First-Generation College Students:College Promise Student VoicesKnowing How to Study Can Mean the Difference Between Success and Failure for First-Generation StudentsFirst-Generation Student Reflections on Study AbroadFor These Young, Nontraditional College Students, Adulting Is A RequirementWhat It Means to Be the First In Your Family To Go To CollegeWhat to Know as a First-Generation College Student
Famous Firsts
Viola Davis
Academy Award Nominated Actress
Academy Award Nominated Actress
Colin Powell
65th US Secretary of State
65th US Secretary of State
Tennessee Williams
Award-winning playwright
Award-winning playwright
Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court Justice
Supreme Court Justice
Howard Schultz
CEO of Starbucks
CEO of Starbucks
Michelle Obama
44th First Lady of the United States
44th First Lady of the United States
Michael Blecker
Executive Director, Swords to Plowshreas
Executive Director, Swords to Plowshreas
Tom Bradley
Former mayor of Los Angeles
Former mayor of Los Angeles
Gerald Ford
38th President of the United States
38th President of the United States
Barney Franks
Former US Congressman
Former US Congressman
Brian Greene
Theoretical Physicist and Mathematician
Theoretical Physicist and Mathematician
Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court Justice
Supreme Court Justice
Ursula Burns
First African American woman to head a Fortune 500 company
First African American woman to head a Fortune 500 company
Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States
42nd President of the United States
Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senator
U.S. Senator
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Supreme Court Justice
Supreme Court Justice
Brian Greene
Theoretical Physicist and Mathematician
Theoretical Physicist and Mathematician
Samuel Jackson
Actor and film producer
Actor and film producer
Ken Langone
Investor and Home Depot Co-Founder
Investor and Home Depot Co-Founder
John Lewis
Georgia congressman and Civil Rights hero
Thurgood Marshall
First African American Supreme Court Justice
First African American Supreme Court Justice
Viet Nguyen
Pulitzer Prize winning author
Pulitzer Prize winning author
Richard Nixon
37th President of the United States
37th President of the United States
Laurie Richer
Medical Director of Univ. California San Francisco Trauma Recovery Ctr
Medical Director of Univ. California San Francisco Trauma Recovery Ctr
J.D. Vance
Author
Author
Margaret Thatcher
Known as “the Iron Lady” – Britain’s first female Prime Minister
Known as “the Iron Lady” – Britain’s first female Prime Minister
Clarence Thomas
Supreme Court Justice
Supreme Court Justice
Kenny Troutt
Founder and Executive Director of Excel Communications
Founder and Executive Director of Excel Communications
Ruth Simmons
First African American women to head a major college or university –
Former President of Smith College
Former President of Brown University
First African American women to head a major college or university –
Former President of Smith College
Former President of Brown University
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Director, Writer, Filmmaker, Historian, and Critic. Harvard professor
Director, Writer, Filmmaker, Historian, and Critic. Harvard professor
Dr. Ben Carson
Neurosurgeon and first physician to successfully separate conjoined twins
Neurosurgeon and first physician to successfully separate conjoined twins
Oprah Winfrey
Celebrated talk show host, television network owner, actress, producer and philanthropist
Celebrated talk show host, television network owner, actress, producer and philanthropist