Alumni

The November Alumni Spotlight is on Congressman Nick Begich! Discover where life has taken him since the Class of 1995…

How did your time here at the Master's Academy shape your early leadership or personal growth? One of the great things about The Master's Academy was that because it was a small school, and a school that really focuses on families, it provided a lot of opportunities to get involved in extracurricular activities that I wouldn't have had an opportunity to be involved in at a larger school. That was really one of the most amazing things about Master's for me. I was involved in sports, leadership, extracurriculars, that breadth was really important and developmental. It's probably the same for many of the students there today, I would imagine, where you've got the ability to participate in so many different things, and I think that's really important for the development of a well-rounded individual coming out of high school. I played basketball but I wasn't as good as I would have liked to have been at basketball - it was my favorite sport. I played golf, I did baseball, and I ran cross-country to get in shape for basketball season, and I turned out to be a lot better at cross-country than I ever was at anything else. I never would have learned that, though, if I didn't have that breadth of opportunity. 

What is one of the most meaningful memories that you have from your time at TMA, and do any of those memories kind of resonate with what you do now? One of the most amazing things about TMA when I was there was the fact that you knew everybody. Again, larger school, hard to do, smaller school, easier to know everyone, know their backgrounds, and really build deep relationships with folks. People go off, they live their lives after high school, but some of your friends, you stay friends with for life, and I've still got friends for life, from my days at TMA. I really think it's those relationships that you build in high school, those shared experiences that you have with people. It's really amazing some of my best memories were growing up going to TMA, of course, the school was a lot different then than it is now. 

We had fewer facilities but one of the things that's been great as I've returned to TMA over the years is seeing how the original ethos of the school has been maintained over time. While we've added a lot, we've got great facilities and great infrastructure for the school, the commitment of the teachers and the commitment of the parents has always been so strong, and, I think that's sort of the secret sauce of TMA, what makes it special.

So how do you live out your faith in the work that you do today, whether in politics, business, or with your family? I spent a career in business before coming to Washington and I'm not really involved in the business side as much. The job in DC is more than full-time. It's not even close to 9-5, it's more like probably 7-10 some days. They're long days in DC, and a lot of weekends, too. I think faith is very important and there are many other members of Congress that share that same perspective. We pray together. There's several prayer groups in the United States House where I serve. We open meetings in prayer in the Republican conference and we get together every week and talk about the business of the forthcoming week, and we pray. We open the day in prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance every week when we get together, and I think that's just a reminder and a touchstone to recognize that there are people in Washington, D.C. that want to make sure God is forefront as we're making big decisions that impact so many people's lives, not just in the United States, but across the world. 

What motivated you to enter politics, after a career in business, and how did your background, either here at TMA or beyond, prepare you? I remember when I first came to TMA, I ran for vice president, and I lost. I ran again in 9th grade, and I lost again, and then I ran for class president in 10th grade, and I won, and I won in 11th and 12th. So, for kids out there who might be watching this, don't give up. Be involved. You don't have to be the president of your class, you can contribute in any way. You'll learn skills that you're going to need later, whether you decide to ultimately move into public service in a role like this, or another role that's similar. Public speaking is the ability to think in a manner that includes everybody's perspective, the ability to make some challenging decisions sometimes when people don't agree on things. I think high school and middle school can be great opportunities to start developing those leadership skills that you're going to need, no matter what it is you end up doing. What I like to remind folks about is that everybody serves.  Everybody serves, whether you're serving in an elected office, or whether you're serving at home, or whether you're serving your church, or whether you're serving your workplace, or even if you own a business, you serve your customers and your employees. Everybody has a role of service. And so, the skills that you can build at an early age are a lot easier to build when you're younger.  And so high school and middle school are great opportunities to do that, and I would encourage folks out there watching, even if you're a parent watching, encourage your young person to get involved. If you're a young person, get involved, this is the best time to do it. 

What excites you the most about entrepreneurship, and how do you see business as a way to strengthen communities?  Business is so important. We're a capitalist economy. The United States has been founded on the idea of entrepreneurship as one of its founding components - the ability to go out, start something, create value. What I've told young people in Alaska and across the United States when I've had opportunities to speak with them is wealth accrues to those who produce. When you produce something of value, you're building wealth, not just for yourself, but for your customers, or for the people that you're serving. Producing is so important - think about businesses, and what is their job? Their job is to produce a product or a service. I think business is a really important way for us to serve our communities. Yes, it can be great for the individual too. I will tell you that it is a lot of work to start a business. And I've told many people over the years, if I knew how hard it could be to start a business, I'm not sure I ever would have started one, but it was a great entrepreneurial career that I had. I started a software development company and we helped early-stage companies build the technical components of their businesses. So in some cases, that might just be their website. In other cases, maybe they were actually a technology company and had a mobile app, and we would help them build their mobile app. Or we would help their device connect to the internet with what's called Internet of Things. So we did all sorts of things. I had about 150 people worldwide, in 3 countries, full-time employees that helped build that business when I was running it, and I started it with a laptop and a folding table that I got from Costco. So, you know, small beginnings can lead to big things. If you've ever seen an oak tree, they come from a very small acorn. So, never look down on small beginnings, because every big business started as a small business. And some of the biggest businesses in the world started in a garage. It's always worth investing in yourself if you've got a great idea, and you're willing to put in the work. You can have a great career, and you can provide a lot of value to the people around you. 

What is one piece of advice that you would give to a current TMA student about pursuing their passions and answering the call/enjoying their time at TMA, but also being forward-focused as well? Never limit yourself, number one. Never limit yourself. There's a quote from Henry Ford that says, whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. You are the limiting factor to your own life. If God is calling you to do a thing in life, don't believe that you can't do it. You can. You can do great things. People from TMA are doing great things, have done great things, will continue to do great things, and you're one of those people if you step up to the challenge. My piece of advice is don't limit yourself, give it everything you've got, follow your calling, and you're gonna have a great life. Success is never a straight line to the top.  You will encounter adversity, there will be challenges along the way, and that's a good thing. That's how we learn, that's how we develop as people, and that's how we learn the skills that we need in order to ultimately be successful later in life. So, be happy when you encounter challenges, because those are opportunities for you to improve, and to develop those skills and abilities, and refine those so that you can be successful later. 

How can we pray for you here at TMA? I think the biggest thing is making sure, not just for myself, but for the entire Congress, that we have the strength to do what's right, that we understand what right is, that we have discernment, wisdom, and courage, because these decisions that we make are not often easy. Sometimes they're not popular, sometimes in the long run, what is good can be challenging in the short run. And so, just making sure that folks hear that your leadership, your elected leadership, and your representatives around the country have the courage to do what's right. If we have those things, we're gonna have a great country. For me personally, I think always having the ability to get up in the morning and go and go after my job, as I mentioned earlier, it's more than a full-time job. I'll also say that for families, and this is for folks who may at some point be thinking about a future level of involvement with the political arena, this can be tough on families too. They don't run for office, but they, in many ways, are in office with the member who's serving. And so, I mean, prayers for families, whether it's my own or other members of Congress, are always welcome. Because those folks, who are family members, don't always have an opportunity to say the things that they want to say in a public forum, but they always have to endure the attacks that come with modern politics. And look, and for the teachers and the parents out there. you're doing great work. You're doing important work, and I know that can be challenging work, too. When I was at TMA, I probably should have been kicked out 2 or 3 times. I got so many lunch detentions, I may still hold the record for lunch detentions, from my 7th grade performance at TMA, but, kids grow out of it. Always believe in the kids, keep investing your time in them, and you'll be rewarded for that work.