4 BYU alumni among 100 senators in upcoming 113th U.S. Congress

"It was great preparation for what I'm doing now," Flake said. "I went to BYU-Hawaii for a semester. That's where I met my wife — on the beach on the first day of class; it was a memorable occasion."

Flake had his first political science class at BYU-Hawaii and truly enjoyed it; he later graduated with a bachelor's degree in international relations and a master's in political science. He went on to intern on Capitol Hill for the senator holding the position he will fill in the coming term (Jon Kyl).

"Living in Washington ... my (degrees) were tailored well to what I do now," Flake said. "We came here and really got bitten by the bug, my wife and myself. It is difficult to come here and have an experience like that and not get bitten by the bug. The internship really lent itself to that. (It) leads to public service and government in some way."

A different time

Hatch served, like Lee, as student body president during one of his summer semesters at BYU in Provo. However, his experience was very different, and during a different time.

"When I went to BYU it was in 1952; I was very poor and I wasn't sure I would go to college," Hatch said. "They sent me a scholarship for $25 — that was a lot of money in that day. I was impressed that they thought enough of me to do that.

"I have to say I owe a great deal to BYU. I love the school and I would do anything to help the school. ... I was student body president. It was one of the best summer groups they had and I did put a lot of time into it. ... It was something I really enjoyed."

Hatch was nominated for position of student body president by a man he met and interacted with while on his LDS mission in the Great Lakes region. Though he was working full-time, was taking between 18 and 21 credits and had a pregnant wife when nominated and elected to the position, he "threw everything he could into it," he said.

For Hatch, much of his learning and growing came from his teachers and classes, specifically those that were religiously based. He studied as a history major, with philosophy and accounting minors, and after graduation went to the University of Pittsburgh for his law degree.

"I really love BYU and owe a lot to BYU. The $25 scholarship was the final clincher," Hatch said. His parents wanted him to at least go to college for a year and once he started, he "never looked back. It was the right thing to do."

Crapo's staff said Crapo wasn't available for comment on this story after the election in November. Additional attempts for comment in mid-December were unsuccessful. Crapo graduated from BYU in 1973 with a bachelor's in political science before receiving his juris doctor from Harvard Law School in 1977, according to the biography on his official website.

Crapo was charged with drunken driving in Alexandria, Va., early in the morning of Dec. 23. He will be arraigned Friday.

"I am deeply sorry for the actions that resulted in this circumstance," Crapo said in a statement released the night of his arrest, according to the Associated Press. "I made a mistake for which I apologize to my family, my constituents and any others who have put their trust in me. I accept total responsibility and will deal with whatever penalty comes my way in this matter."

Members of the 113th Congress were sworn in Thursday at the U.S. Capitol in D.C.

Along with the four BYU graduates serving as senators, five members of the U.S. House are Cougars:

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, graduated in 1989 with a B.A. in communications

Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in Spanish, Latin American literature emphasis

Del. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa, graduated in 1966 with a B.A. in political science and history from BYU; he also holds an A.A. from BYU-Hawaii

Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., graduated in 1986 with an M.A. in public administration

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., graduated in 1985 with a B.S. in animal husbandry

Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., graduated in 1995 with a B.A.

Top 5 Colleges for Senators in 113th Congress

Harvard University — 6 senators

Yale University — 5 senators

Brigham Young University — 4 senators

Dartmouth College — 4 senators

Stanford University — 4 senators

Source: U.S. Senate

Mandy Morgan is an enterprise intern for the Deseret News, reporting on values in the media. She is a true-blue Aggie, studying Journalism and Political Science at Utah State University, and hails from Highland, Utah.