Sarah Elfreth becomes first ever Towson University Alum to be elected to U.S. Congress
By Sarah Sternhagen, Editor-in-Chief
Towson University had its first ever alum elected to the United States House of Representatives, Sarah Elfreth. Elfreth won Maryland’s third Congressional election district and will be sworn in on January 3, 2025. She was also the youngest woman to ever serve on the Maryland Senate.
Elfreth graduated from TU in 2010 with a degree in Political Science. She came to the university on scholarship, was an RA, joined the Student Government Association in her sophomore year and became heavily involved in local government.
“My first, first bill I really testified on while a student at Towson was to bring polling places to college campuses,” Elfreth said.
Maryland’s Third Congressional District includes parts of Anne Arundel including Annapolis, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery Counties and Baltimore City. According to the University System of Maryland’s data, most of TU’s in-state students live in Baltimore County, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard, Harford and Anne Arundel County.
“I know there’s a lot of people who still vote for me, even if they’re not at my party, and even if they don’t agree with me on everything, because they know that they can still approach me with their ideas and concerns,” Elfreth said.
Elfreth currently teaches an honors college seminar, Public Policy & Public Advocacy at Towson; she won’t be teaching next semester due to her new schedule.
During her time in the Maryland Senate, Elfreth worked on many higher education related issues, including introducing the Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act to the senate which was later enacted. The act required institutions of higher education to provide voting resources to students and give military students ways to register to vote. She also served on the Budget and Taxation Committee.
“I think one of my specialties is thinking about it’s not just passing a bill, it’s the, Okay, are we funding it properly to actually execute and implement?” Elfreth said.
Now among TU’s most prominent alums, Elfreth said students looking to cement themselves in their careers, be it in politics or not, should aim to be the hardest working person in the room.
“I know there is a great pressure, and want, for work-life balance and listen, I want it too. At the same time, especially in your early part of your career, you can really make a name for yourself and reputation for yourself by being a really hard worker and by volunteering to take on new responsibilities, and asking a lot of questions and being curious is really important,” Elfreth said.
