Editor’s note: Some students at Humbolt Elementary and other Grant County schools are learning about women who have broken through gender barriers to achieve success, as part of a recognition of Women’s History Month in March. The Blue Mountain Eagle is publishing some of that information this month to support the efforts of educators in their quest for student excellence.Juliane GallinaA native of Pelham, N.Y., Juliane Gallina was born in 1970 and became the first woman to be named brigade commander by the U.S. Naval Academy in 1991.

Established in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, did not admit women during its first 146 years. When it finally did, in 1976, many midshipmen as well as faculty still did not believe women had a place there.

In 1991, after a rigorous screening and interview process with top academy officials, Gallina was appointed brigade commander, making her responsible for the daily military activity of the academy’s 4,300 midshipmen. She was the second woman ever to hold such a prestigious and powerful position at a military service academy, the first one being at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

As brigade commander, Gallina served as chief liaison between the midshipmen and academy officers. In addition to being the student leader of 4,300, Gallina was also the coxswain of the women’s crew team and a member of the track and lacrosse teams while at the academy. She is currently a lieutenant in the Navy, working toward a master’s degree in space systems operation at Naval postgraduate school.

Source: Department of the Navy, United States Naval Academy