A Desire to Further Research

Following preparatory school, Stevens taught high school for three terms. She then entered Westfield Normal School with nearly perfect grades, garnering a reputation for her intelligence (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). Stevens taught after her college graduation at Westford academy, and later at Howe School. There is a small gap in her life around this time, but it is known that she worked part time as a public librarian, continuing her learning even as she taught (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). 

After this time, Stevens left Massachusetts to attend Stanford University in 1896 (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). A major in physiology made perfect sense for Stevens considering her passion for scientific study. It is interesting to note that Stevens entered Stanford as a ‘special student,’ and in effect had to prove herself as an academic. An obviously high-achieving student, Stevens received all plus marks in her courses, and was eventually awarded regular freshman standing. Stevens studied physiology under Dr. Oliver Peebles Jenkins before falling under the guidance of Dr. Frank Mace MacFarland, studying histology. Under Dr. MacFarland’s direction, Stevens spent four summer vacations at the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory pursuing histological and cytological research (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). In 1899, Stevens received her bachelor's degree from Stanford college. 

Completion of Her Masters

After completing her bachelor's, Stevens took on the roll of Investigator at the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory in 1900 (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). It was there that she finished her master’s thesis and published her first paper “Studies on Ciliate Infusoria”. After finishing her master's degree, the highest form of education she could acquire at Stanford, Stevens moved back East to Bryn Mawr College, where she fell under the study of Thomas Hunt Morgan and the influence of Edmund Beecher Wilson, whose reputation and philosophy made a lasting impact on Bryn Mawr’s teaching practices (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). As a college for women and under the leadership of a female president, Stevens was able to gain the opportunities at Bryn Mawr to teach and continue her education in ways she was likely not able to at other institutions.

Research Opportunities and Achieving Her Doctorate

Armed with her master's degree in biology, Stevens excelled at Bryn Mawr College so much that she was offered a fellowship to study abroad at the Naples Zoological Station and Institute at Wurzburg, Germany from 1901-1902 (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). During her time in Wurzburg, she researched under Professor Theodor Boveri who was studying the role of chromosomes in heredity using sea urchin eggs. After returning from her fellowship, Stevens received her PhD from Bryn Mawr College and published her dissertation “Further Studies on the Ciliate Infusoria Lichnophora and Boveria”. The following year, after extensive back and forth with the institute from both Dr. Stevens and her superiors, she was accepted into the Carnegie Institute's fellowship program (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981).

In Summary

Dr. Stevens graduated from high school in 1880, and ceaselessly continued to seek more opportunities for education and experience. She had a reputation for her intellect and commitment everywhere that she worked (Ogilvie and Choquette 1981). Despite this, it took her 23 years from receiving her high school diploma to finally receive her PhD, in large part the result of moving between schools and fighting with institutions for the same recognition, status, and access as her male peers.