If you turned on C-SPAN on the evening of November 15, chances are you might have seen Parker junior Sloane Demetriou, in her navy blue suit uniform, working late into the night in the U.S. Senate.
During the fall semester of her junior year, Demetriou worked as a Senate intern on Capitol Hill as a U.S. Senate Page. This prestigious program gave Demetriou a window into American democracy in action, while also offering the chance to interact with elected officials and dignitaries while pursuing hands-on experiential learning about the legislative process and the inner workings of the U.S. Senate.
The Senate Page Program dates back to the early 19th century, when senators used pages as messengers and helpers in the U.S. Capitol. Today, the program selects 30 high school students from around the country for each session to serve all 100 Senators with duties that range from delivering official governmental or legislative correspondence, preparing the official chamber for sessions, and helping senators and their staff during sessions and debates.
Demetriou applied for the position with Illinois Senator Durbin but she knew other pages who applied with up to 26 senators because the program is so competitive. Demetriou indicated that “every application for every senator differs, but I had to write an essay, provide my resume and transcript, and fill out a consent form. I didn’t hear back from Durbin’s office [for many months]. I found out on August 11 and was scheduled to leave on September 3, so the turnaround time was really quick.” She strongly recommended Parker students apply for both the academic semester and summer programs, given how personally fulfilling the experience was for her. The junior year semester-long programs begin every September and every January, while a shorter three week summer session is also available.
What makes the program unique is that all of the pages live together during these “school year sessions” in the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence, which is a two-block walk from the Hart Senate Office Building. In addition to working, pages also attend the US Senate Page School in the basement of Webster Hall. They take typical junior year academic classes like American Literature, Pre-Calculus and US Government & Politics, with class beginning as early as 6 a.m., before reporting to the Capitol at 10 a.m. or earlier, depending on when the Senate convenes for the day.
For many students who take part in the Page program, they may fear missing out on part of their junior year, or they may have other hesitations about leaving home as a 16 year old. Demetriou admits she had “an immense amount of FOMO about missing one semester of my junior year. I’d be missing field hockey, basketball, Homecoming, as well as hanging out with my friends in general. I made an effort while in DC to try and text people whenever I got wifi at Starbucks.”
While Demetriou may have missed some of the normal parts of a Parker junior year, she had experiences that cannot be replicated, made life-long friendships, and created memories that she will remember for the rest of her life. She recounted how on November 15, two days before Thanksgiving break, she worked for 18 hours straight, deep into the night. For Demetriou, “the day started with about six votes in the Senate (one which took about six hours), four hours of military nominations, and if you can believe it, countless speakers after that,” Demetriou said. After working 18 hours straight on Capitol Hill, Demetriou remembered not even being tired. “But I think that’s the beauty of the Page program. No one truly understands what we go through, which makes the experience so much more special”
She also recalls meeting and seeing numerous political leaders during her time at the Capitol, including Ukraine’s President Zelensky and Vice President Harris, and events like the swearing in of Laphonza Butler, the woman who replaced former California Senator Diane Feinstein after her death in October. Witnessing meetings and events like these gave her insight into the inner workings of government. Demetriou recalls witnessing the first and only ousting of a House Speaker in US history as a memorable highlight of her political journey that she will treasure. She also recounted stories of how New Jersey Senator Cory Booker stands out for his kindness and magnanimity amongst the other senators by “always ma[king] it a priority to welcome the pages into the senate” and that the senator would joke with the pages, and would “take selfies with us [even] sneak out and bring us brownies and cookies.”
This experience has solidified Demetriou’s interest in studying political science in college. She “loved living in Washington DC, and [I] think it’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever been.” She learned that the senate is less polarized than the media would have you believe, and she has seen first-hand that bipartisanship is alive and well in Washington.
Like Demetriou, other Parker students, including current seniors, Benjamin Kagan and Kyle Feitler, have served as U.S. Senate Pages, as recently as last year. So maybe “paging” is a Parker thing!
