Rojean Heyer (RIGHT) has been a lockmaster for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 12 years. She’s one of thousands of people who work on the Mississippi River to keep it safe for boats traveling along its length.
Why did you start working on the river?
I grew up around the La Crosse area in Wisconsin. I love anything outdoors. My dad used to take me to Lock and Dam 7. We’d fish off the wall there.
One summer after I graduated from college, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was looking for clerks. I worked that summer as a clerk at Lock and Dam 7 in La Crescent, Minnesota. I started working year-round as a clerk in
