For Women’s History Month, we again showcase Oakland’s high school alumni

Here are two more fascinating graduates of Oakland’s public schools.  They came from very different backgrounds and had very different opportunities but each used their high school education as the start of a long career.  Can we give today’s students an opportunity to do the same?

It’s great to profile ​Betty Reid Soskin, 1942 grad of Castlemont High School!  She was a park ranger at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front Nat'l Historic Park in Richmond until her retirement at 100 years old!

Soskin took a job as a file clerk immediately after high school.  Her own experiences in Oakland during the war contributed to the park’s program. Later in 1945, Soskin and her first husband founded Reid's Records in Berkeley, one of the first Black-owned record stores in the Bay Area.  While running the business and raising children, she wrote and recorded music, and was a community activist throughout her life.  Learn more about Reid Soskin in her memoir, Sign My Name to Freedom or watch her on Youtube!

Then there is Oakland High School’s 1890 grad, Julia Morgan (1872-1957), pioneering architect and engineer. The first female civil engineer from Cal, first to be admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and to be a licensed architect in California. Perhaps her most famous work is Hearst Castle in San Simeon.  But Morgan designed many Bay Area buildings which are historic landmarks today.  She contributed to several buildings at Mills College including the bell tower which famously withstood the 1906 earthquake due to its earthquake-resistant design. The Oakland YWCA Building was one of the first of several projects she completed for women’s institutions.  

Check out a self-guided walking tour of her homes in Alameda or listen to a podcast by the Pioneering Women in American Architecture. 

Help the next generation of changemakers!  Volunteer as a classroom mentor or donate to increase recruitment and support.