Summit Academy Charter School

Ketanji Brown Jackson (1970 -) Supreme Court Judge.1992: Graduated from Harvard. 1996: Graduated from Harvard Law & served as Harvard Law Review editor. 1996-2000: Held three federal clerkships, including for Justice Breyer. 2003–2007: Served as assistant special counsel to the U.S. Sentencing Commission and as an assistant federal public defender. 2010–2014: Acted as Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, leading efforts to reduce sentencing disparities and implementing retroactive reforms. 2013–2021: Served as U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, issuing notable rulings on civil rights and executive authority. 2021–2022: Served in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. 2022: Sworn in as the first Black woman in the U.S. Supreme Court. 2023–2025: Authored key Supreme Court opinions, including her first majority opinion (2023) and rulings on the First Step Act (2025). 2024: Published her memoir, ”Lovely One.”

Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) painter. 1922: Admitted to the prestigious Escuela Nacional Preparatoria; one of the first girls to attend, intending to study medicine. 1925: After a severe bus accident, she begins painting during her recovery, taught by commercial artist Fernando Fernández. 1926: Paints her first self-portrait, “Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress.” 1928: Joins the Mexican Communist Party; meets Diego Rivera, who encourages her work. 1929: Marries Diego Rivera. Paints “Time Flies” and “The Bus.” 1930–1931: Moves to San Francisco and then Detroit (1932); produces several paintings, including portraits of American acquaintances and her own medical experiences. 1932: Paints “Henry Ford Hospital and Self-Portrait on the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States,” establishing a deeply personal, surrealistic style. 1935–1936: Separates from Rivera temporarily after an affair with her sister; paints “My Grandparents, My Parents, and I.” 1937: Aids Leon Trotsky’s asylum and paints “Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky.” 1938: Holds a successful first solo exhibition in New York City at the Julien Levy Gallery. 1939: Exhibits in Paris; the Louvre acquires “The Frame,” the first 20th-century Mexican piece in their collection. 1939-1940: Divorces and remarries Diego Rivera, creating works like “The Two Fridas.” 1942–1943: Begins teaching painting at "La Esmeralda" and joins the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana. 1946: Receives the National Prize for Painting from the Ministry of Public Education. 1953: Holds her inaugural solo exhibition in Mexico, attending despite severe health issues.

Marian Wright Edelman (1939-) civil rights lawyer, children’s rights advocate.1960: Graduated from Spelman College. 1963: Graduated from Yale Law School; became the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar. 1964–1968: Directed the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, MS, focusing on civil rights and early Head Start advocacy. 1968: Founded the Washington Research Project, a public interest law firm; served as counsel for the Poor People's March. 1971: First woman elected to the Yale University Corporation. 1973: Founded the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). 1976–1987: Chaired the Board of Trustees of Spelman College. 1982: Candace Award. 1985: Awarded a MacArthur Fellowship ("Genius Grant"). 1988: Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism. 1991: Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged. 1992: Published the best-selling book “The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours.” 1993: Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. 1996: Heinz Award in the Human Condition. 2000: Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. 2016: Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership. 2018: Transitioned to President Emerita of the Children's Defense Fund.

Coretta Scott King (1927–2006) civil rights leader, author, and activist. 1953: Married Martin Luther King Jr. 1955: Played an active role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. 1958: Travelled to India with Dr. King to study Gandhian nonviolence techniques. 1962: Served as a Women’s Strike for Peace delegate at the 17-nation Disarmament Conference in Geneva. 1964: Actively campaigned for the passage of the Civil Rights Act. 1968: Led a march for Memphis sanitation workers, initiated the Poor People's Campaign, and marched in NYC against the Vietnam War following her husband's assassination. 1969: Founded and became CEO of The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change; published My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr.. 1970: The first Coretta Scott King Book Award was given, establishing a lasting legacy in children's literature. 1974: Formed and co-chaired the National Committee for Full Employment. 1983: Formed the Coalition of Conscience to organize the 20th Anniversary March on Washington. 1986: Successfully helped establish the federal holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. 1990: Co-convened the Soviet-American Women’s Summit. 2006: Upon her death, became the first Black person and first woman to lie in honor at the Georgia State Capitol.

Rita Moreno (1931- ) 1936: Moved to New York from Puerto Rico & began taking dance lessons. 1942: Worked in the film industry recording Spanish language versions of American films. 1944: Made her Broadway debut at age 13 as “Angelina” in “Skydrift.” 1950: Starred in her first film,“So Young, So Bad.” 1950: “The Toast of New Orleans.” 1952: “Singin’ in the Rain.” 1956: “The King and I.” 1961: Cast as Anita in the film adaptation of the musical “West Side Story.” Won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Even after winning the Oscar, Moreno’s agents still only submitted her for “exotic” and Latina roles. Decided to leave the mistreatment of Hollywood and mostly acted in summer theater for the next seven years. 1969: “Night of the Following Day” & “Marlowe.” 1971: “Carnal Knowledge.” 1971-1977: “The Electric Company.” Won a Grammy in 1972 for “The Electric Company Album” 1975: Broadway Musical “The Ritz” & won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. 1977: Appeared on “The Muppet Show” & earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. This award solidified her as the third person in history & first Latina to win all four major entertainment awards: an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony (EGOT). 1978: Won a Primetime Emmy for her role on the television show “The Rockford Files.” 1993: Performed at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. 2004: Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. 2009: Received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.

Jeannette Rankin (1880–1973) politician. 1902: Graduated from the University of Montana. 1910–1911: Actively organized for women's suffrage in Washington and California. 1911: Became the first woman to speak before the Montana legislature regarding suffrage. 1914: Led the successful campaign for women's voting rights in Montana. 1916: Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman to serve in Congress. 1917: Took office and voted against U.S. entry into World War I. 1918: Opened congressional debate on a constitutional amendment for universal suffrage, which passed the House. 1928: Founded the Georgia Peace Society. 1929–1939: Served as a lead lobbyist and speaker for the National Council for the Prevention of War. 1940: Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for a second term. 1941: Cast the sole vote against declaring war on Japan and entering World War II. 1968: Led a 5,000-woman march on the U.S. Capitol to protest the Vietnam War.

Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) politician, educator, and author. 1946: Graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.A. 1952: Earned a Master’s degree in elementary education from Columbia University. 1953-1959: Served as director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center. 1964-1968: Served as an Assemblywoman in the New York State Legislature. 1968: Became the first African American woman elected to Congress. 1969: Founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. 1970: Cofounder of the National Women's Political Caucus. 1971: Published her autobiography, “Unbought and Unbossed.” 1972: First woman & African American to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. 1974: Key role in expanding the Minimum Wage Law to cover domestic workers. 1977: Became the first Black woman & second woman ever to serve on the House Rules Committee. 1983-1987: Served as Purington Professor at Mount Holyoke College. 1984: Cofounded the National Political Congress of Black Women. 1993: Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. 2015: Posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Dr. Virginia Apgar (1909–1974) anesthesiologist - 1933: Graduated from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons & began a surgery internship. 1937: Certified as an anesthesiologist after training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Bellevue Hospital. 1938: Appointed Director of the newly formed Division of Anesthesia at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. 1949: Named the first female full professor at Columbia University. 1952: Developed the "Apgar Score," a 10-point system measuring newborn health (skin color, heart rate, reflexes, muscle tone, respiration) at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. 1953: Published her initial description of the Apgar score in “Anesthesia & Analgesia.” 1959: Earned a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. 1959-1974: Joined the March of Dimes Foundation, directing research into preventing birth defects and highlighting premature birth issues. 1963: The acronym APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) was coined as a mnemonic tool. 1972: Co-authored the book “Is My Baby All Right?” for public education on birth defects. 1973: Awarded the Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Medicine from Columbia and named Woman of the Year in Science and Research by ‘Ladies' Home Journal.’

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly (1921–2003) biochemist. 1942: Graduated magna cm laude from Queens College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She was named a Queens College Scholar, an honor given to the top 2.5% of the class. 1943: Completed her master’s degree in chemistry at New York University in just one year.1947: Earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University, becoming the first Black woman in the U.S. to do so in chemistry. Her dissertation focused on how the enzyme pancreatic amylase helps digest corn starch. 1948–1955: Protein Research at Rockefeller Institute: Conducting postdoctoral research with Alfred Mirsky, she studied how the body builds proteins. Her work on histones (proteins that package DNA) and nucleic acids was so significant that it was acknowledged by James Watson and Francis Crick in their 1962 Nobel speech regarding the structure of DNA. 1955–1960: Breakthrough Heart Health Research: Returned to Columbia University to work with Dr. Quentin B. Deming. Their research was among the first to establish the critical link between high cholesterol and clogged arteries (atherosclerosis). 1960–1986: Career at Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Joined the faculty as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 1971. During this time, she investigated the harmful effects of cigarette smoke on the lungs and heart, and the uptake of creatine by muscle cells. 1968–1975:Spearheaded recruitment efforts for Black students at Albert Einstein College. In 1975, she participated in a landmark AAAS conference that produced the report, “The Double Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science,” addressing systemic barriers in STEM. 1988: Two years after her retirement, she established a scholarship fund at Queens College for African American chemistry and physics majors in honor of her father. 1999: Named one of the top 50 women in Science, Engineering, and Technology by the National Technical Association.

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910) physician. 1847: Admitted to Geneva Medical College in New York, becoming the first woman accepted to a US medical school. 1849: Graduated first in her class, becoming the first woman to earn an M.D. in the U.S.. 1851: Returned to New York City to practice medicine, facing significant discrimination, and began a private practice/clinic. 1857: Founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister, Dr. Emily Blackwell, and Dr. Marie Zakrzewska. 1859: Became the first woman to have her name placed on the British Medical Register. 1868: Opened the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary to provide medical education to women. 1871: Co-founded the National Health Society in London. 1875: Appointed as professor of gynecology at the London School of Medicine for Women. 1895: Published her autobiography, “Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women.”