New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, a graduate of Northeastern’s School of Law, was elected to the U.S. Senate last week, unseating Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte in a tightly contested race that drew the nation’s attention.

“I am deeply grateful to the people of New Hampshire for the great trust that they have once again bestowed upon me, and I will work every day to honor it as their United States senator,” Hassan said.

“I could not have imagined back in my days as a student at the Northeastern University School of Law that I would end up where I am today. But I know that my time and experience at Northeastern—both in the classroom and through real-world experiences like my co-ops—helped shape and prepare me to navigate the challenges that we all face in our lives, both personal and professional.”

Hassan, L’85, H’13, becomes the second Northeastern graduate to be elected to the U.S. Senate and the third to serve. Northeastern alumnus John Pastore, L’31, was an elected U.S. senator from Rhode Island from 1950 to 1976. Mo Cowan, a 1994 School of Law graduate, also served in the Senate; he was selected in 2013 by then Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to serve as interim U.S. senator to replace John Kerry, who left his seat to become the nation’s secretary of state.

I know that my time and experience at Northeastern—both in the classroom and through real-world experiences like my co-ops—helped shape and prepare me to navigate the challenges that we all face in our lives, both personal and professional.
—Maggie Hassan

Hassan, 58, earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University. She delivered the School of Law Commencement address in 2013, when she also received an honorary degree from the university.

Hassan began her law career at the law firm Palmer and Dodge before working as associate general counsel for Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Partners Healthcare of Boston. She entered public service in 1999, when then-New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen appointed her to a state commission studying the adequacy of educational resources for New Hampshire’s public education system, and was elected to the New Hampshire Senate in 2004, serving for six years.

In 2012, Hassan became the second woman ever to be elected New Hampshire governor.