Thelma Traub, x-class of 1965, was the first student from Liberia and her education was funded by the African Scholarship Program of American Universities. While attending Mount Holyoke, Traub was secretary of the International Relations Club. She majored in chemistry and botany. Traub hoped to use the knowledge she gained to do meaningful work in her home country, informed by traditional medicine and native plants. Her family placed a high value on education since she was young, even taking in local children to allow them to have access to education. Traub helped care for these children and expected to do the same when she returned.