 Around 1881, Salomé with the help of her husband opened the first center of higher education for young women in the Dominican Republic, which she named "Instituto de Señoritas".Within five years, the first six female teachers had graduated from the Institute, something uncommon at the time.The first graduating class included Mercedes Laura Aguiar, Leonor M. Feltz, Altagracia Henríquez Perdomo, Luisa Ozema Pellerano, Catalina Pou, and Ana Josefa Puello.