Much unbeknownst to her during childhood in the 1850s, Madelon Stockwell would later be crowned the spearhead of one of the most important revolutions in the University’s 200-year history. As the first woman to enroll in the University of Michigan, Stockwell left an important and then-controversial mark that would indefinitely change the gradual acceptance of the female student at the University of Michigan. Michigan’s second president, Reverend Erastus Haven, called the idea of admitting women to the University of Michigan “a radical revolution” and most faculty members agreed with him at the time. Before female students were allowed to enroll in the University, three questions fueled the debate: 1. Are women mentally capable of learning in a higher education environment? 2. Are women equipped with the physical capacity to go to a University? 3. Is it worth it to teach women anything if their main purpose in life is to bear children? (1). Needless to say, these questions were entirely misogynistic, which made the debate even more important in continuing the goal of gender equality at the University of Michigan.

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        Nevertheless, and despite this harmful debate, Madelon Stockwell donned her long, Victorian-era dress in February 1870 and she attended her first class at the University of Michigan. Of course, the journey to becoming the first female student was not easy--Stockwell was given exams that were “longer and more severe than those given [to] the young men. (2)” And when she was enrolled in the University, she was met with “curious stares, pointed fingers, and whispered remarks” from both male students and male faculty (2). However, Stockwell was highly intelligent and would later go on to receive a degree for her advanced work in Greek. Her perseverance in the face of overt oppression and sexism from her classmates, professors, and University administration is highly admirable. In addition, her brave entry into the University of Michigan set a precedent for other female students, allowing for more and more women to pursue higher education at Michigan for years to come.