Vel Phillips achieved many firsts, including first woman and first African American to be elected to the statewide office of secretary of state.

Barbara Nichols was the first African American president of the Wisconsin Nursing Association and of the American Nursing Association.

Mee Moua was the first Hmong American to be elected to a state legislature in the U.S.

Maria Luisa Morales has worked for justice for Latinx communities in Wisconsin since the 1960s.

Kathryn "Kate" Morrison was the first woman elected to the Wisconsin State Senate.

Gwen Moore was the first African American from the state of Wisconsin to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Golda Meir was a teacher and organizer in Milwaukee before becoming Israel's first female prime minister in 1969.

Katharine Lyall was the first woman president of the University of Wisconsin System.

Patricia "Patty" Loew is a celebrated journalist, filmmaker, and educator about Native Americans in Wisconsin.

Estella Leopold was a paleobotanist and conservationist who conducted ground-breaking research on fossilized pollen.