Born on September 22, 1891, Alma Woodsey Thomas was a pioneer. And no not the pioneer you may be thinking of: the first to explore or settle in a new country… but a pioneer by which they develop something new or prepare the way for other people to follow. Now what made Alma a pioneer? It was from her being the first to graduate from Howard University with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts  in 1924. She was an art teacher who taught painting from around 1934 until retiring in 1960, but she began teaching originally in 1914 as a substitute teacher.
 
Other than being an art teacher she was a great expressionist painter, making her notable for having exuberant pieces from the pattern, rhythm and color used in the artwork.