Experience Essay: Senate Page

Being a Senate page has helped me grow as a citizen, student, and individual by exposing me to people who have had different experiences and backgrounds, providing me with service opportunities, and allowing me to learn about civic leadership.

As a Senate page, I have met many different people who have different backgrounds and upbringings. During the mock committee sessions, it became more evident to me that while some of my classmates had similar viewpoints, some had very different ideas. I was able to form connections based on geographical areas, how we were/are raised, and our influences such as family, friends, and the internet. Furthermore, I saw how our unique differences can also form our beliefs and how we position ourselves. Through talking with others during lunch, dinner, and other social times, I also found some commonalities. Despite having many different experiences, a lot of us had similar experiences, being around the same age. We go through a lot of the same challenges and have similar interests. For example, we discussed current events and politics a lot. In addition, my roommate and I spoke about our future interests and we both want to get more involved in local government, in addition to getting involved with the federal government and Congress. On the floor, I witnessed the same interactions among the Senators.

The Senate Page Program has provided me with many service opportunities. During the program, multiple Senators spoke to us. They all had one theme in common; service. They discussed that the importance of giving back was their calling, the reason they are in public service. Senator Bell talked about being the voice for those who do not have a voice. He said, “We are not here to be something, we are here to do something”. The title of being a Senator was not at all important to him, but the impact was his reason for why he does what he does. Senator Reeves had a similar message, telling us a story about how he helped someone access health services, which ended up saving their life. He emphasized the power of one and the immense impact we can make by helping just one person. Those messages made me more aware of the things that I can do to create change and give back to others and create a better future. Also, the class service project to FeedMore made me more grateful for everything I have and gave me the chance to donate some of my earnings from the program, right away, to a good cause. As a class, we raised over $12,400 and went beyond our goal of $11,000. I am reminded to actively look for ways to donate more and give back to my community. 

Over the last nine weeks, I have learned a lot about civic leadership. In and out of the chamber, I noticed that while each legislator may have a different political view, they all work together well and have lasting relationships. The Senators gave me a new perspective when they said that they are all working to fix the same issue but they have different ways to solve it. The media has portrayed the government and our country as very divided. However, the Virginia legislature gives me hope for the future and our political system. Though there are strong opinions on either side, there is still a lot of agreement and a lot of politicians who are interested in finding the middle ground and compromising. Even though I learned so much as a Senate page, one big takeaway I have is there is always more to learn. There is always more information and there is always more to explore. The desire to learn more is something that will take me far. One of our speakers, Jon Baliles, talked about how his dad, a former Governor of Virginia, always listened more than he talked. He discussed how we live in a world today where everyone wants to do the talking but listening is how we take in information. This empowered me to listen more to others instead of always thinking about what I have to say. 

The Senate Page Program reinforced the uniqueness of each person, encouraged me to think more about giving back, and showed me civic leadership. Everything I have learned in this program will help me with any path I pursue. I have not only become better educated about the legislative process and government structure, but also the skills needed to make me a strong leader.