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U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (PPS’93) made history in 2024 by becoming Maryland’s first Black senator and only the third Black woman ever elected to the United States Senate.
Her dream of public service didn’t begin at Duke. It started generations earlier.
“I often tell the story of my grandmother, Sarah Daisy, who wanted to work for the federal government,” Alsobrooks says. “She taped a piece of paper to the refrigerator to teach herself how to type in order to pass a Civil Service Exam, which included a typing test. She practiced every day and soon landed herself a job at the Pentagon—her dream job. I am so honored to be her legacy.”
That legacy lit the spark. Duke turned it into a calling.
“Motivated by my grandmother’s story, I always knew I wanted to serve others,” she says. “But it was at Duke where I started to hear the call to serve by way of public service. My time at Duke ignited a passion for service and a love for public policy. It was at Duke where the desire to pursue a career in law was cultivated.”
TIME AT DUKE WAS Rooted in Community
When she looks back at her time at Duke, Alsobrooks doesn’t just remember the academic rigor or the classes that shaped her thinking. What she remembers most is the deep sense of connection.
“I think Duke did a great job of developing a sense of community,” she says. “There was a huge emphasis on connection, and I think that really stemmed from the spiritual core of the campus. Having the chapel there as a constant presence served as a reminder of that connection. I'm a deeply spiritual person, so I really appreciated that.”
She was also struck by the diversity of experiences and backgrounds represented in her peers. “I loved the diverse backgrounds of the people I met at Duke—so many interesting experiences and perspectives. I think Duke did a wonderful job of bringing together talented people with good hearts.”
One part of Duke's academic culture left a lasting impression: its continued investment in the humanities. “Even as many other schools shift their focus almost entirely to technology, Duke still celebrates the humanities as a vital part of developing leaders.”
She also found joy, friendship, and tradition outside the classroom. “I cheered on the Blue Devils at Cameron Stadium—during two back-to-back championships,” she says. “I fell in love with our campus in the Duke Gardens, and I forged lifelong friendships with my sorors of the Lambda Omega chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.”
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Today, that pride continues through the next generation. “I am so proud that my daughter just crossed Delta Sigma Theta, and watching her journey brings me back to so many happy memories of myself at that age. My time at Duke was truly formative, full of building friendships, discovering my passions, and so much learning.”
Duke leads through the values of respect, trust, inclusion, discovery, and excellence. I try to lead with those values every day.
United States Senator Angela Alsobrooks
Launching a Life of Public Service
After graduation, Alsobrooks returned to Prince George’s County, Maryland, and began her public service journey as the county’s first full-time Assistant State’s Attorney focused on domestic violence cases. From there, she rose quickly through the ranks, serving in county government and then being elected State’s Attorney in 2010.
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In 2018, she was elected Prince George’s County Executive, leading the second-largest county in Maryland through challenges and transformation. She would later enter the U.S. Senate race as an underdog, facing a well-funded opponent and long odds. As in every race she has run, she led by showing up, listening to people, and staying grounded in her values.
Today, as a U.S. Senator, Alsobrooks brings a deeply grounded perspective shaped by her community, her family, and her education.
“Duke leads through the values of respect, trust, inclusion, discovery, and excellence,” she says. “I try to lead with those values every day.”
Alsobrooks focuses her energy on building economic opportunity, especially for people who have been historically excluded. On the Banking Committee, she champions wealth creation, financial access, and digital equity. “Most people just want a fair shot—to afford healthcare, housing, education,” she says. “They want dignity and the chance to build something.”
Her work also extends into emerging technology, including digital assets and stablecoin regulation. Her goal is to create safer, more inclusive financial markets. “Young people are already using this technology,” she says. “So let's make it work better for everyone.”
Why Public Policy Matters Now
Alsobrooks is clear-eyed about the urgency of the moment and the responsibility that comes with it.
“We are in such a pivotal time for our nation,” she says. “Our news is overwhelmed by chaos, disasters, and hateful rhetoric. It is really easy to give up, tune out, choose a different path. But I want to urge all students who hear the calling to public service to keep at it. Keep working to make this country better, more just.”
She believes that public policy matters most when the work is hardest.
“To answer the call to serve is to work every single day to answer the needs of the people. Through every step of public service, and starting with my time at Sanford, I have learned that most of us want the same things: to access economic opportunity for our families, live in safe and affordable communities, access quality education, and get the affordable, quality health care we need.”
Being neighbors isn’t just a geographic thing—it’s moral. I think Duke really embodied that idea beautifully.
United States Senator Angela Alsobrooks
What She Stands For
Alsobrooks carries with her the lessons of Sanford and the words of Terry Sanford himself: “Stand for something”.
She does.
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“I am proud to stand for Maryland,” she says. “Economic opportunity is my north star. I want Marylanders to not just get by but to truly thrive, creating new jobs and income, ensuring medication and health care are affordable and high-quality, and fighting for young people to have the chance at home ownership. These are the issues I stand for.”
She also stands for justice.
“As we face challenging times, I will keep the faith and remind myself and others that the arc of the moral universe, although long, bends toward justice. We have to keep fighting for justice at every turn.”
That fight includes resisting efforts to slash Medicaid, cut nutrition programs, or shut down rural hospitals. “That’s heartless and inhumane,” she says. “I will keep fighting so our children can eat, our parents are cared for, and Americans with disabilities have the support they need.”
Duke Creates Connections We All Need
From that early example from her grandmother, which permeated her time at Duke and now at the highest levels of government, Alsobrooks emphasizes the through-line of community.
“It’s been instrumental at every stage of my life. There’s this quote I love—right before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech, a rabbi named Rabbi Prinz said that “God created all of us as neighbors”.
“But being neighbors isn’t just a geographic thing—it’s moral. I think Duke really embodied that idea beautifully.”
“It’s one of the things that prepared us (Duke alumni) so well.”
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This article was posted in the Sanford Alumni Memo, to stay informed about Sanford alumni events, news and profiles email Alex Dodds alexander.dodds@duke.edu to sign up.