Ever since 1839 the United States Congress has had what are known as congressional pages to serve as messengers and to help with various tasks such as administrative work. These congressional pages are made up of outstanding young people who are in their junior year of high school. As it stands right now, currently the House of Representatives has 72 pages, while the Senate has 30.
High school kids from all across the United States of America apply to become congressional pages, but as you can see from the limited number of spaces available, only the best of the best will get to become a congressional page. Competition is very high and only those that stand out from the crowd will be able to participate in this prestigious program. Here are the steps to take if you too are interested in becoming a congressional page:
• Make sure you are eligible: To become a congressional page you must be at least 16 years old and be in your junior year of high school. You must also be maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher in core academics, not including electives. If you are related to a sitting member of Congress you are out of luck as you may not serve as a page.
• Get sponsored: To become a congressional page you have to be sponsored by a member of Congress. So the first step is to contact a member of Congress and ask them to sponsor you. Once you are sponsored, that member of Congress will begin the application process which will vary from person to person and from political party to political party.
• Provide required documents to your sponsor: Again the application process varies, but there are certain things that you are always required to give to your sponsor. These items are your social security number, a parental consent form, official transcript from your high school, resume of extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and a written essay. Being prepared with these items will help you to speed up the process of your application once you are sponsored.
• Play the waiting game: Sponsorship from a Congressperson does not guarantee you a position as a congressional page. All pages are selected by a special Page Board that consists of two members of the majority party who are selected by the Speaker, two members from the minority party who are selected by the Minority Leader, the Clerk of the House, the House Sergeant at Arms, one parent of a congressional page from a previous year, and one previous congressional page. It is this board that selects the different members of the congressional page program.
Becoming a congressional page is an honor that you will be able to carry with you for the rest of your life and the experience will last a lifetime. But as you can see it is a process that requires some work and perfect timing so if you are interested then get started right away so that your opportunity doesn’t pass you by.
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