Breaking Barriers

It isn't about being first, it's about having an impact and Jane Bolin has had a massive impact on history. Jane Bolin was an African American who became the first woman to graduate from Yale University. You may not be familiar with her story, but her impact on history can't be denied.

Jane Bolin was born on April 11, 1908, in Poughkeepsie, New York. She spent a lot of her youth in her father's law office, and at a young age, she realized that she wanted to be a lawyer.

Bolin graduated from Wellesley College in 1928 before entering Yale Law School and graduating in 1931. She was the first African-American woman to receive a degree in law from Yale.

In 1939, Jane Bolin was appointed Judge of the Domestic Relations Court. During her 40 years, she made two big changes: the assigning of probation officers to crimes without regard to ethnicity or sexuality, and the provision that private public-funded child-care agencies employ children without regard to racial origin.

In a 1993 interview with the New York Times, Bolin reflected on the impact of her accomplishments.

"Everyone else makes a fuss about it, but I didn't think about it, and I still don't," Bolin said. "I wasn't concerned about first, second, or last. My work was my primary concern."

Jane Bolin passed away at age 98 on January 8, 2007.

As A Leader
As leaders, we must not be concern about who makes it first where. It's not about being first, second, or last, it's about having an impact. Understand the vision you and your team have fixed your sight on and make it a reality. We live in a world where everyone wants to be famous or well known, how about we focus on having an impact?