"It never occurred to me not to have a career."
Coeds in dormitory, 1948 - NC Collection
Once women had been accepted into higher education programs or had begun professional careers, they had different experiences in their unusual positions. Naomi Elizabeth Morris remembers her classmates at UNC School of Law as being very inclusive and supportive of her, even though she was the only female student in the program.
On the other hand, Mary Turner Lane recalls a 1923 issue of the Daily Tar Heel that included a section in which the student body president explained why women were not welcome at Carolina. Kathrine Robinson Everett mentions that her fellow law students would often jestingly say that women were going to ruin the law school, although she is quick to point out that such comments were very tongue in cheek and overall her fellow students were considerate and cordial.
One trailblazer describes how, early in her legal career, some people attended her trials just “to see a lady lawyer.” Such novelty-seekers may not have held the deliberate intention of supporting women in unorthodox career paths. However, as more people took notice of women succeeding in male-dominated fields, ideas about what women were capable of continued to evolve. Simply by pursuing their strengths and interests, women were showing the world that they could earn higher degrees, excel at demanding careers, and break out of the traditional mold.
