If you’ve ever wondered whether your background would keep you from working for the FBI, then you may not have heard about Joanne Pierce Misko. She’s famous for being one of the first female FBI agents, but before her crime-fighting life began, she worked as a nun. Yes, a real-life nun, living in a convent and everything.
From these unlikely beginnings, Misko successfully completed training at the FBI Academy, despite having to meet the same physical fitness requirements as men. She went on to have a long career as an FBI Agent.
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Misko spent a decade working as a teacher and nun at a New York convent. One fateful encounter with an FBI Agent who came to the school to do recruiting led Misko to apply for a job with the FBI. But she couldn’t be an agent at that time, because FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had strictly prohibited women from that type of job. Instead, Misko became a researcher.
Shortly after Hoover’s death, the policy that had been in place for nearly 50 years came to an end, and women were again allowed to join the ranks of FBI Agents. The head of Misko’s training division saw her hard work and potential and asked her if she’d like to become an FBI agent. Misko jumped at the chance.
She went on to serve as an FBI Agent for over two decades. Today, nearly 3,000 women serve as FBI Special Agents across the United States.
