Indeed, there is a certain uncanny quality about the Alsobrooks, a quiet confidence that stems from his upbringing, a “quintessential American family” with loving parents and an older sister.
His father had two jobs: he delivered newspapers in the morning. Later in the day, he told NBC News, “he’s changed his suit and he’s going to sell insurance.” “He became a car salesman after losing his job.”
His mother was a receptionist, working for years in local government and in a hospital. “I would go to the ER and wait for him to quit,” Alsobrooks recalls.
Devoted parents emphasized education and exposed Alsobrooks and her sister to fine food, art and culture, while instilling values such as religious faith and telling them that nothing was beyond their reach.
“We had a lot of outlets,” Alsobrooks recalled. “Dance, voice lessons and children’s improvisation theater. church.”
After meeting peers involved in citywide student government in ninth grade, she was impressed and decided to run for treasurer.
“I had a real campaign. My campaign volunteers were my parents. They took me to a toy store, handed out candy wrapped in play money,” he laughs.
Alsobrooks won the first election, then was elected student body president. Since then, public service has been his calling.
A few years later, Alsobrooks said, her parents “cleaned out their retirement accounts, budgeted and shared a car” to pay for her Duke University tuition. He then attended the University of Maryland School of Law and developed his legal skills as a law clerk in the Howard County Circuit Court and later in the Baltimore City Circuit Court.
A key position for Alsobrooks was becoming an assistant state’s attorney in Prince George’s County and the first full-time prosecutor to handle domestic violence cases.