Stories
Every so often something I have done ends up written about somewhere other than this blog. This is where I keep those.
A week as a page in the Washington State Senate
In April 2023, during my freshman year at Redmond High School, I spent a week in Olympia as a page in the Washington State Senate, sponsored by Senator Manka Dhingra.
I wanted to do it because I wanted to understand how laws actually get made — not the version in a textbook, but the real thing, with the arguing and the waiting and the procedure. I wanted to watch floor action in person, and I wanted to meet people my age who were curious about the same things.
Pages serve for one week while the Legislature is in session. The job itself is unglamorous and constant: carrying documents across the Capitol campus, delivering messages, helping in offices, working on the chamber floor, and carrying the flags to open each day’s session. Between errands we went to Page School, where we spent part of every day learning how state government fits together.
My favorite moment was small. On Monday morning I led the Pledge of Allegiance on the Senate floor, in front of the chamber. I also drafted a mock bill on plastic recycling and its environmental impact, which meant thinking properly about how you turn an opinion into something that could survive a committee.
What surprised me most was how ordinary the building felt from the inside. The Senate is a workplace. People are tired, and running late, and genuinely trying to get something done.
I’m impressed with Monica’s eagerness to learn, and I’m looking forward to the tremendous difference she will make in our community.
Sen. Manka Dhingra (D‑Redmond)
I would recommend it to anyone. You spend a week with people from all over the state, and you come out understanding the Capitol as a place where work happens rather than a building you drive past. If you are at least 14 and not yet 17, you can apply with a parent’s permission and a teacher’s recommendation.
*Image source: Washington State Senate