Impact of a Scholarship: Steve Heger

Growing up in nearby Beltsville, Maryland, Steve Heger always knew that he wanted to be a Terp. 

Going from a 98-pound wrestler to a 126-pound wrestler that was wrestling above his weight a lot of time in high school, Heger never really considered being a collegiate wrestler an option. 

Fast forward five years with a 60-pound weight gain and Heger became one of the most decorated wrestlers in Maryland history by becoming a two-time ACC champion in 1976 and 1977. 

Heger credits his scholarship and his time at Maryland for turning him into the businessman that he is today. 

“It all comes back to Maryland,” Heger said. “It’s where I grew up both mentally and physically to get where I’m at today.”

Where he is today is the President of Raffa Financial, an insurance company based out of Rockville, Maryland. 

The career path however didn’t start with insurance. During the summer Heger and a friend would work outside laying tile and doing other yard work in order to make some extra money. 

Heger was so convinced that he would do this full-time that he actually changed his major from engineering to horticulture. 

“I realized two years in that I wasn’t an engineer,” Heger said. “So I switched my major to horticulture because I just loved doing that stuff like laying flagstone, doing patios and making waterfalls.”

Even though he had found a new major, years working outdoors while simultaneously training for the rigors of collegiate wrestling took a toll on him.

By sheer luck, a Washington Post article chronicling Heger caught the attention of a local insurance agent who was eager to meet with Heger. 

After that meeting, Heger knew he had a different path forward. 

Upon graduating in spring 1977, Heger took a job as an insurance agent in the summer and thinks his time spent as a wrestler only helped him for that specific job. 

“Wrestling is a lonely sport,” Heger said. “Insurance agents spend so much time alone so I was just very used to doing all that leg work by myself. It really set the stage for what I needed to do in the business world.”

Heger’s winding career path all stems from his experiences at Maryland and the fact that he was able to have a scholarship.

“Maryland was always the goal,” Heger said. “I wanted to just go there as a student but I was able to go and have my tuition paid which was invaluable to my life in the real world.”