Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks to Deliver Commencement Address

Bowie State University Welcomes Maryland’s First Black Female U.S. Senator

MEDIA CONTACT: David Thompson, dlthompson@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-4311

(BOWIE, Md.)—Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks will provide the commencement remarks at Bowie State University’s 2025 spring graduation ceremony on Friday, May 23, from 9 a.m. to noon at Bulldog Stadium. 

Senator Alsobrooks made history in the November elections as the first Black woman from Maryland elected to the U.S. Senate. She began her first term in office on January 3, 2025. 

A lifelong Maryland resident, Alsobrooks grew up in Camp Springs and graduated from Benjamin Banneker High School in Washington, D.C. She earned her bachelor’s degree in public policy and Afro-American studies from Duke University in 1993 and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1996. 

She began her legal career clerking in Howard County and Baltimore City courts, and in 2011 become the youngest person—and first woman—elected as Prince George’s County state’s attorney. She held that role until 2018, when she was elected to become Prince George’s County executive. 

As the county’s first Black female executive, Alsobrooks led from 2018 through 2024, focusing on public safety, education, and economic development. Her election to the Senate marked another historic first, making her Maryland’s first African American senator, and only the third African American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate.  

She currently serves alongside Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was also elected in November. The two trailblazing lawmakers are the only Black women in the Senate, marking a pivotal moment in congressional history. 

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About Bowie State University
Founded in 1865, Bowie State University is the first Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in Maryland and one of the ten oldest in the country. Bowie State has earned the ‘Research College and University’ designation in the 2025 Carnegie Research Activity Classification. As a leading institution of higher learning, Bowie State offers more than 65 bachelor's, master's, doctoral and certificate programs across arts and sciences, technology, business, education, healthcare and related disciplines. The university provides high-quality and affordable educational opportunities in a supportive environment that empowers students to think critically, make new discoveries, value differences and emerge as leaders in a highly technical, rapidly changing global society. For more information about Bowie State University, visit bowiestate.edu.