Pramila Jayapal (C 1986) is an alumna of Georgetown University and a politician. A Democrat, she currently serves as the United States Representative for Washington's 7th District. Her election in 2016 marked a number of historic "firsts," including becoming the first Indian-American woman elected to Congress.1
Jayapal was born in Chennai, India and graduated from Georgetown College in 1986 with an A.B. in English.2 As of the 116th Congress (2019 - 2021), she is one of 28 Georgetown alumni serving in Congress.3
After graduating from Georgetown, Jayapal went on to earn an MBA degree from Northwestern University. She has worked in both the public and private sectors and founded the non-profit Hate Free Zone (now OneAmerica), which advocates for immigrant rights.
In a talk at Georgetown in 2017, she said, “That English literature major and the liberal arts education that I got here at Georgetown is the basis for everything that I do today."4
Jayapal currently chairs the influential Congressional Progressive Caucus, which includes 101 Democratic representatives and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)5.
- 1Sarah Wright, "First Indian-American Congresswoman Shares Immigrant Experience," The Hoya, https://thehoya.com/first-indian-american-congresswoman-shares-immigrant-experience/
- 2"Ye Domesday Booke," 1986, p. 271. http://hdl.handle.net/10822/1049973
- 3"28 Georgetown Alumni Serving in 116th Congress," https://www.georgetown.edu/news/28-georgetown-alumni-serving-in-the-116th-congress/
- 4Sarah Wright, "First Indian-American Congresswoman Shares Immigrant Experience," The Hoya, https://thehoya.com/first-indian-american-congresswoman-shares-immigrant-experience/
- 5Congressional Progressive Caucus, Caucus Members. https://progressives.house.gov/caucus-members.
