Between late night talks with her roommate and having trouble picking a major, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s (D-CA) Stanford experience was pretty typical.

But Lofgren, who earned a B.A. in political science in 1970 and currently represents San Jose and California’s 16th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, also recalled experiences unique to her generation.

One of Lofgren’s most vivid Stanford memories was the tear gassing of her dorm.

“It was the ‘60s, so it was a tumultuous time,” she said. “There were demonstrations on campus because the Vietnam War was going on. In a lot of ways it was a frightening time.”

Lofgren lived in Branner Hall her freshman year, which was then all-female housing. She described how the residents of Wilbur Hall, all freshmen boys, “stormed Branner Hall in a traditional panty raid.”

“I think it was the last panty raid,” she said. “The next year, there were co-ed dorms and everything changed.”

Although Lofgren acknowledged that her campus impact and involvement were minimal — “I wasn’t very much for joining things,” she said — she did study in Britain for six months.

While abroad, she worked with political science Prof. Ray Wolfinger, now at UC-Berkeley, to conduct the first public opinion poll in the Midlands, which she rated as one of her most valuable experiences at Stanford.

“When I was there, they had a mansion in the middle of the Midlands,” she said. “It was definitely an interesting experience.”

Lofgren said that deciding to major in political science was “really rather random.”

“We weren’t as organized as your generation,” she said. “I’m the first in my family to go to college, so I got a scholarship and I really didn’t know what I was doing. As I got closer to graduation, I realized I needed to pick a major, so I picked the one I had the most units in, which was PoliSci.”

Similarly, Lofgren’s entry into politics was not premeditated.

“I just bursted into it after I graduated,” she said. “I went to Washington without a job or really even a plan. I just went there thinking I could do something to make a difference.”

Lofgren said she talked herself into a job with her predecessor in Congress and ended up working for him for eight years. While on his staff, she went to law school and got involved in local government. After running for and holding offices in local government, Lofgren ran for Congress.

Lofgren said that she and the rest of the Democratic representatives aren’t taking anything for granted in next week’s elections.

“I know a lot of people are saying that the Democrats will take control [of Congress], and that is possible, but by no means certain,” she said. “If Democrats do regain the majority, we have a whole agenda that we wish to deliver.”

This agenda includes a new emphasis on science and basic research in education, energy independence in 10 years and full broadband deployment to every section of the country within five years. These goals comprise what Lofgren called an “innovation agenda,” a program Lofgren unveiled at Stanford a little over a year ago.

Lofgren, first elected to Congress in 1994, serves on the Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on House Administration. Many of her legislative initiatives have involved energy and Internet access issues.