Gabriela Mistral was the first woman poet and the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize. Her poetry came to world attention when Federico de Onis, a professor at Columbia University in New York City, discovered her poetry and had it published. Mistral worked as a teacher and later as an ambassador. On her frequent trips back to Chile, she was often greeted by children reciting her poetry. The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to her in 1945 for her simple verse voicing the concerns of her people.