Charting Diverse Pathways

Hatsuye Yamasaki '37

Hatsuye Yamasaki was born in Washington D.C. in 1916. She attended McKinley Technical High School from 1929-1933. In 1933 Hatsuye became the first Asian ancestry woman to enroll at W&M, 15 years after women were first admitted.Contributing to the Tribe 

During her time at W&M, Hatsuye was heavily involved in Los Quixotescos, serving as secretary her junior year. Her other service included Sophomore Tribunal, Indian Handbook Staff, as an intramural sports representative, member of the Judicial Council and President of Brown Hall during her senior year.

Margaret Lee Masters '45

In 1940, Margaret and her brother immigrated to the United States and entered through Angel Island and after 23 days were  reunited with her father, a Baptist minister. 

Margaret attended the Norfolk branch of W&M (now Old Dominion University) from 1943-1945. Afterwards, she was the first Chinese student to enroll at the Virginia Commonwealth University medical school where she met her husband, marrying in 1947.

She spent most of her career in pediatrics and raised three children. She passed away on June 16th, 2021.

Beatrice Fujiwara Sakai '53

Beatrice Fujiwara was born April 17, 1931, in Honolulu, Hawai’i. She attended Robert Lewis Stevenson School (1945-1946), Roosevelt High School (1946-1947), and Punahou School (1947-1949) for secondary education.

Beatrice entered W&M in 1949 and majored in Biology. While at W&M, she joined the Biology Club and spent the summer of 1950 at George Washington University and in Roanoke. She married her husband Milton Sakai in Baltimore and moved back to Hawaii before finishing her degree at W&M.