"Hello everyone. I am very grateful that this ceremony started at 10 rather than some outrageous time like... 6:15 in the morning!
Do you remember the very first days of this program? We had absolutely no idea what to expect, no idea how hard this experience was going to be but also no idea how much we were going to learn. I remember the first time we woke up at 5 A.M. … it was dark, no one had any idea how to put on our name tags, and we were just trying to remember to cover our yawns.
And now, we are at the end. These past months have been the fastest of my life, and I think many of my fellow Pages would agree. Looking back, this experience boils down to two things for me; growth and gratitude.
I have seen all of us grow immensely in all aspects of our lives here; in the classroom, at work, and as a community.
As students we have learned how to work hard. For many of us, school has always come fairly easily but no one here is going to tell you that Page School is easy. The teachers move through material quickly, we have several hours of homework each day, and let us not forget, school starts at 6:15 in the morning! But we have learned that a planner is your best friend, that every spare moment (even 15 minutes before a roll call vote) is valuable time and that asking for help is a sign of intelligence, not of weakness.
At work, we have learned how to get drink orders correct, how to swing the Senate doors open at the exact right time, and where S123 is. More universally applicable though, we have experienced growth working with colleagues. We have navigated conflicts arising from late nights, unequal work distribution, and mistakes. We have learned how to act professionally and even the Northerners are fluent in “sir” and “ma’am” now. We now understand the wisdom of the saying, “There is a time for play and a time for work.”
And finally, I would say our growth as a community has been the most profound. At the beginning of this adventure, we were strangers. And now we have spent approximately 4.8 months living 24/7 with each other. We came in with some similarities; we were generally interested in politics and did well in school, but the differences were far more apparent at first. We came from all over and had vastly differing political views.
We have people from tiny towns in the North and from huge cities in the South. We have tree-hugging liberals and cattle-ranching conservatives. We have people that are Catholic and Protestant, Jewish and atheist. We have vegetarians and meat lovers. However, as the program went on, our similarities became what was more evident. We all missed our friends, we liked listening to music on bus rides, we loved lunch break, we loved finishing all our homework at work, and we loved sleeping… like really loved sleeping. So yes, we have differences and they are real. But our similarities are stronger and that is why I can call every single one of my fellow Pages a friend … I don’t know how they feel about me but… in our divided world, I find that inspiring.
So I’ve talked about growth; now I would like to express abundant gratitude. This program has greatly increased my awareness of how the United States of America is unique, both in its founding principles and in their execution. Without the efforts made by hundreds of millions of people to uphold these values, there would be no Senate and therefore no Senate Pages. So thank you, United States of America.
Second, I am so thankful this program exists. The fact that juniors in high school are allowed to sit on the floor of the Senate and witness the speeches, debates, and votes that impact everyone, everywhere in America is incredible. The inside view afforded by this program is not replicable. So thank you for creating and fostering a program that has educated, inspired, and nurtured the youth of this country.
And finally, gratitude for the people. At school, thank you to the teachers. You offered us the individualized feedback that is so hard to find at other schools and spent time helping us survive and thrive in this atmosphere. At Webster Hall, thank you to the proctors and to Ms. Roach. Living with high schoolers is far from easy (as people in the audience may know) but somehow you guys managed it! Thank you so much for organizing fun field trips and dorm activities. At work, thank you first to the senators. You are the reason we are here! Second, thank you to the doorkeepers, the clerks, the parliamentarians, the Capitol Police, and the Cloakroom assistants for both making us feel welcome and for mentoring us throughout this time. You all were role models for what employees and supervisors should look like. And finally, a huge, enormous, gigantic thank you to my fellow Pages for making this fall both unforgettable and unique. I am so proud of each and every one of you and can’t wait to see how our futures unfold.
And with that Mr. President, I yield the floor. "
The most impactful part of my experience not reflected in the speech was the fact that we were able to witness the beginning of the impeachment trial of President Trump. The history in the making was awe-inspiring. And to top it off, on our second to last day, Senator McConnell gave a thank you to us, the Pages. After a long day of division, disagreement, and general partisanship, all of a sudden we were being given a standing ovation by the entire impeachment court. I teared up and I actually haven't quite figured out why, but what I do know is that I was so inspired to see these people unite for something. And that something just happened to be the young people of this country. It was such a gift. All of it was such a gift.
And now, I am off to start at UWC Waterford. My plane is boarding now!
Great work!
ReplyDeleteI just found this and I'm reading every single post! awesome way to share your experience (idk if you remember me, we worked together for a summer)
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