"When somebody said, 'What are you going to do next,' and I said
I thought I'd move to Washington, D.C., people reacted as if it
would be scary. But I'd say, 'Everyone there speaks English. How
hard could it be?'"
Bulgaria, she is quick to add, was a wonderful experience, just
not an easy one.
"The experience of being without any knowledge of the language
and unable to communicate with people was really challenging,"
says Heggem. "Living with nine different families over six months
forced me to adapt to new situations quickly. Along with the
cultural differences, going outside what is normal and
comfortable to do made me pretty fearless by the time I got
back."
Heggem, who is a legislative aide for Sen. Conrad Burns, has a
diverse background. From Winifred, she came to MSU-Bozeman and
majored in agricultural business, working as an undergrad in the
state 4-H office. After graduation in 1996, she continued in
applied economics, getting a master's degree in 1998. That degree
involved developing a method to value the use of technology in
rural health care systems.
"My thesis research and working at the Trade Research Center
after my master's were both useful for what I do now. They taught
me how to think about federal investment and how the result
should provide some public good. At some point you have to be
able to justify these dollars and decide which programs should be
funded."
While a valuable learning experience, the work also convinced her
that health care probably will not be her major focus in
professional life. She says she is more interested in what her
job focuses on now: natural resources, the environment and water
issues.
To get that job, "I basically called up Conrad Burns office and
said, 'Can I please have a job.'" There was nothing open at the
time, but there was a job open by the time she had finished
giving presentations around Montana on her experiences in
Bulgaria. Heggem started as a legislative correspondent about a
year ago assisting the person who had what is her current job.
If forced to describe a down side to the Washington D.C. job, she
admits to "low pay and long hours," while quickly adding that
there are a lot more things that she loves about her job.
"The best part of my job is the people I work with and the
opportunity to work for Montana every day. . . It helps me
remember who I am and where I came from."
Unlike many in D.C., she was lucky to find a "little tiny no
bedroom apartment" at the east end of the Washington Mall that
was "just barely out of my price range." She has just a 15 minute
walk to work.
Having a small apartment isn't a problem.
"I don't spend any time there anyway. A couple nights a week I'm
working until about 10 p.m. A couple other nights I'm out with
friends, and my neighborhood is great. It's much more neighborly
in DC than I expected. I know more neighbors here than I did in
Bozeman.
If someone wants a job like hers, Heggem recommends they try to
intern for a summer.
"You'll get a feeling for it, and it is a very particular group
of people who enjoys this kind of thing. And if you don't like
it, you shouldn't be here. It's a demanding job, and it would be
even harder if you were miserable. I'm one of the lucky ones -- I
really enjoy what I do."
Chris' parents are Donna and Alan Young of Butte. Her father was
Jack Heggem.
