Â鶹ÊÓƵ

This year, Mujeres*, a Latinx alliance of multicultural organizations, celebrates 35 years at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. To recognize this significant milestone, we wanted to honor Carmen Piza ’41, a trailblazer who we understand to have been the first Latina to earn an undergraduate degree at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.** One of her Â鶹ÊÓƵ daughters, Josefina Gomez Hillyer ’68, shares her mother’s story with us.

What brought your mother, Carmen Piza, to Â鶹ÊÓƵ?

In 1936, my mother and her parents went on vacation to Europe. While on the cross-Atlantic journey, she met a Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumna who spoke joyfully about the College. My mother was so impressed with the alumna and her story that her mind was set to leave her home in Puerto Rico and study at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. She started her first year at the age of 16!

The journey to Â鶹ÊÓƵ wasn’t easy in those days. It required a 4–5-day trip on a ship. Her nearest family member, an aunt, lived in Baltimore at the time. My mother’s Â鶹ÊÓƵ classmates and professors became her extended family. She always talked about Â鶹ÊÓƵ, even after graduation. Just like the Mawrter she met in 1936, she paid it forward. She did student interviews as an alumna and hosted teas in Puerto Rico. My mother’s tea set is an item I still have and treasure.

We believe that your mother was the first Latina to graduate from BMC. Was your mother aware of that?

I doubt that my mother had the faintest idea. She knew that she was the first from Puerto Rico, but I am not sure that being the first Latina crossed her mind. Even when my sister (Carmen ’64) and I came to Â鶹ÊÓƵ, there were not many of us. Our mother prepared us by quizzing us on our English and sharing some of the cultural differences to expect—beyond the weather. There weren’t groups like Mujeres* when I was a student—it would have made my life easier.

What do you want BMC alumnae/i to know about your mother?

Her life at Â鶹ÊÓƵ was very important to her, and she always spoke fondly about her time at the College. After graduation, she married, raised two girls, loved music, traveled, and liked to host a good party. She proudly kept her red lantern displayed at home. She attended Â鶹ÊÓƵ because she wanted to be exposed to a different world. I think that is why all three of us went to school here. Â鶹ÊÓƵ gives you the skills to analyze and to think critically and the self-confidence to try something new.