As one can imagine, there are many dichotomies between my home state of Alaska and Washington, D.C. – not only ones I see in my current position as a U.S. Senator, but ones that I saw earlier in my career as a Georgetown student.
Moving from a state with a population of less than 500,000 to a city with a population of more than 600,000 was an eye opener. I spent several of my childhood years living in the island community of Wrangell, population 2,700; fewer residents than the entire College of Arts and Sciences.
Once I arrived at the Hilltop in 1978, I was struck by the history all around me. This will give you a little bit of perspective – Alaska was “discovered” by the Russians in the 18th century – the same century in which Georgetown was founded by Father John Carroll. Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 – just three years before Georgetown Law School opened. My current home of Anchorage was incorporated as a city in 1920; only one year after the School of Foreign Service opened its doors.
Everything in Georgetown was much more densely populated than any place I had lived in Alaska. Even Anchorage, the largest city in the state – with a current population of approximately 270,000 – is a sparsely populated city. Although Georgetown was and is densely populated, I enjoyed being able to walk to virtually everything. That was something to which I was not accustomed. In my free time from my studies, I also enjoyed having easy access to the many museums, parks and monuments that are located in the area. In Alaska, we don’t have quite as many of these amenities, although, we certainly have an abundance of natural beauty.
I enjoyed interacting with such a diverse group of classmates. I remember meeting students from all over the nation, as well as students from a variety of foreign countries. It was such an enlightening experience to meet people from so many different places.
When I first moved into Harbin, my name was placed on the door, which read `Lisa Murkowski, Fairbanks, AK.’ It took a full month before I could convince my suitemate from Alabama that I was from Alaska, not Arkansas. She could not believe that someone would travel so far for school. I can also remember that many of my fellow classmates were so intrigued to meet me since I was from a state that was located on the other end of the continent. My roommates my senior year were from all four corners of the country: Rhode Island, Florida and California. I found myself occasionally disproving the occasional fallacy about Alaska!
I enjoyed my years at Georgetown for many reasons. Patrick Ewing was certainly the basketball sensation, but the college provided far more. It allowed me to explore the history of America, to meet incredibly talented and gifted teachers and to be guided in my future career choices by a wise and dedicated counselor – who also cared a great deal about the mystique of Alaska.
Like many college students, I missed my home state. However, it was a truly enlightening experience to attend Georgetown – it allowed me to experience living in a completely different part of the country and to interact with such a diverse group of people.
To this day, I am happy to be a Georgetown alumna. In a few years, maybe my sons will enroll there and make memories of their own.
A third-generation Alaskan, Lisa Murkowski has served as a U.S. Senator for her native state since 2002. Considered by many to be a rising Congressional leader, she was elected president of her incoming class of Senators. Fellow Republicans selected her Deputy Whip for the 108th session.
A member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Murkowski heads its subcommittee on Water and Power and serves on its subcommittees on Energy, and Public Lands and Forests.
Sen. Murkowski previously was elected to three terms in the Alaska State House of Representatives. She received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Georgetown in 1980, and earned a law degree from Willamette College of Law in 1985. Sen. urkowski is married and has two sons.