Five 20-something legislators list education and rural development among their priorities, and their colleagues say they've brought "freshness" to the session.

"You always have a tendency to get locked into your ways. They bring us out of that," said Sen. Dave Nething, R-Jamestown, who has served since 1966.

Democratic Reps. Jasper Schneider, 27, of Fargo; Ben Vig, 23, of Aneta; and Chris Griffin, 26, of Larimore, join two 25-year-old Grand Forks Republicans, Rep. Stacey Dahl and Sen. Nick Hacker.

Griffin, Schneider and Vig co-sponsored a bill to use Bank of North Dakota profits from student loan programs for a student scholarship fund.

The bill failed, but Vig was glad to see their teamwork got "decent votes."

"I'm not speaking from the podium on a lot of things, but I definitely am listening and gathering information," Vig said.

Schneider has some experience in the spotlight through his late father, John, a former lawmaker and U.S. attorney.

"Certainly some people have expectations for me. I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't have expectations for myself," Schneider said.

"I'm also conscious of the fact that I am 27, a freshman legislator, and I don't want to rush into things too much."

An independent mind is one benefit to being a young legislator, Hacker said. At the same time, he's been determined since the start to earn his fellow lawmakers' respect.

"There's a stigma out there - young kids going off to the Legislature, out there to be wined and dined, have a good old time," Hacker said. "I wanted to set a strong example: I'm here to work."

Hacker brings his dog to Bismarck for company, but still misses his friends at home. Taking time away from work also has its challenges.

Young legislators tend to find it difficult to hold down a job at home and keep up with responsibilities there, Nething said.

"It's very seldom you see them stick around more than two terms. It's not a criticism. It's just an observation," he said.

Griffin, a lawyer, says with a laugh that he ran for the Legislature because somebody had to be on the ballot.

"I got a call right before the deadline to get a name on the ballot for the primary, so I agreed to," he said. "But I had interest in the past. I'd been involved in my district. The Democratic Party in my district is pretty small, so there weren't too many of us."

Dahl, who hasn't thought of her political career beyond this session, wondered at first if other lawmakers would respect or listen to her.

"But I think it's like with any position - you have to earn respect," Dahl said. "I think it's generally well received that young people do have something to say."

The four months at the Capitol haven't been all work and no play. The four young representatives have a "Tuesday night club," where they go out with other young people who are politically active to talk about ideas and just have fun.

"We kind of have a kiddie caucus," Dahl joked.

They generally agree with Vig, that the future is still open.

"I know people are excited that young people are in office, and other people in the party are excited to steer us in the right direction for whatever the future brings. I'm really just fortunate to be where I am now," Vig said.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Poolman was 22 when he was elected to the House. He served until he was elected to his current position in 2000.

Building credibility can be difficult "when people see you as fresh out of college with limited real-world experience," Poolman said.

His advice to young lawmakers: "Keep your head down, work hard, and people will respect that you're doing that."