Michelle Van Heerden

Michelle Van Heerden (nee Michelle Badenhorst) is a Saridani politican, founding member of the Hosian Democrats (Saridan), and author.

Early Life
Michelle Van Heerden was born in 4149 inside her home city of Sonskaap, Tasselstat. Her father was Maarten Badenhorst, who was an Elder in the Ameliorate Church, as well as being a Department Store owner and Property Manager by profession. Her mother, Michelle Van Heerden, died giving birth to her, and so in her memory, her father named her after her mother.

Growing up, Van Heerden was tutored at home by private tutors, learning in the traditional Saridani fashion, focusing on scriptures and religion as much as language, literature, mathematics, science, and rhetoric. She excelled in all of her subjects, and in spite of her homeschooling, was social and made very good friends with children in her parochial community. She also was notoriously open and not shy towards adults, and is known to have been a friendly, humorous, and precocious child

At 18, in the year 4167, Van Heerden applied and was accepted to the National Tasselist Bible University in her home city of Sonskaap, and although hesitant, enrolled with her father's strong support and encouragement. There she studied Economics, and met her future husband, Markus Van Heerden, who would pique her future interest in politics and her political career. After graduating in 4171 and 4172 with Bachelor's and Masters of Arts Degrees in Economics, she went to study at the Universitaat Koeistad, in the capital, where she gained a PH.d in Economics in 4174. While here, she got married to her longtime suitor, Markus Van Heerden.

Adult Life
In 4174, she attained her complete education, and continued at Universitaat Koeistad as a Lecturer in Economics. Her independent research in economic ethics and policy led to a lucrative offer of an Associate Professorship at the National Tasselist Bible University. After moving back home, she and her husband began to work together on activism, protesting tensions with Istalia, protesting the Communist Party, and speaking at panels about municipal economics.

She was a noted researcher and was published consistently, becoming a Full Professor of Economics in 4184, where she became even more acclaimed within the Economic field in Saridan. Her political involvement intensified as well. After her husband resigned his position as Councilor for the Fifth District due to ill health, she ran to fill his spot and won with an overwhelming 84% support. She became known for bringing forward and campaigning for legislation which would benefit the Church, maintain utilities, prevent crime, and reward local charities and nonprofit organizations.

In 4194, she ran against the incumbent mayor of Sonskaap, Jan Briuler, who she lost to by a 48-52% margin. She ran again and was elected in 4198, and she remains a very popular mayor.

In 4206, she endorsed, and later joined a new political party, the Hosian Democrats, after meeting Gijsbert Oosthuizen at a Hospital Symposium in Koeistad.