Grace Hopper was born December 9, 1906 in New York, New York. She graduated from Vassar in 1928 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics. She then earned her Master's degree at Yale University in 1930. She began teaching at Vassar as a mathematics teacher in 1931 and then was promoted to associate professor in 1941. In 1943 Hopper took a leave of absence from Vassar and was sworn into the United States Navy Reserve. She volunteered herself. She was one of many women to volunteer to serve in the WAVES. WAVES stands for Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. In order to enlist you had to get an exemption. She was 105 pounds 15 pounds below the Navy's minimum weight. Hopper graduate first in her class on June 27, 1944. She was assigned to the Bureau of Ships Computation Project at Harvard University as a lieutenant, junior grade. On January 1, 1946 she became lieutenant. On August 7, 1946 she was released from active duty. Hopper remained at the Harvard Computation Lab until 1949, turning down a full professorship at Vassar in favor of working as a research fellow under a Navy contract at Harvard.