Beep Beep Beep! The alarm clock goes off at 5 a.m. for senior Alex Funk. She stumbles out of bed on her way to breakfast, the warm smell of coffee fills the air as she nears. She packs up her stuff for school after eating, getting ready for a long day of school and convening with the Senate.
The Senate Page Program is a selective group for high school students to be immersed into the Senate and all of its workings. Only “30 pages nationwide” get picked, Funk explained. Funk applied under Senator Amy Klobuchar and was qualified enough to be chosen.
Pages help with daily tasks like providing support to senators during debates and delivering legislative materials. They are heavily involved with keeping the Senate moving at a steady fast pace, even doing things like bringing water to a thirsty legislator helps the Senate run smoothly.
Going to school and living in Washington D.C., and working as a Page is nothing like ordinary high school. Students live in dorms with multiple other students away from their families, they have little access to their phone except for a short period of time on the weekends and even work in the Capitol like adults.
“In D.C. it was an odd mixture of having no freedom and endless freedom. And here, I mean, it’s just regular high school. I like both of these experiences. They’re just not similar,” Funk said.
Funk’s experiences outside of high school have shaped her into a successful person. Through the Page Program, Funk has learned more about politics and become more in touch with all of its workings.
“She is very politically savvy and politically informed. More than most adults that you will meet,” English teacher Jill Rusignuolo said.
In the class, AP Language which discusses a lot of current events, Funk thrived and was able to debate heavy important topics. Girls State, which she attended this past summer helped her gain more strength in this area.
“One thing that distinguishes Alex from her peers is like, this sense of composure and confidence where she just comes off as fearless. The sky’s the limit for her, so she jumped right in,” Rusignuolo added.
The Senate has many opinions flying around all the time. Senators constantly going back and forth on matters important to the present and future of the United States.
“The Page Program gave me the ability to see the other side’s perspective. It’s all about perspective,” Funk said.
While in D.C., Funk was able to be a part of once in a lifetime experiences. Experiences most high school students do not know about.
“I was on the floor when all the new Senators were being sworn in for the 118th Congress,” Funk said.
After high school, in college Funk wants to stay involved in politics. She even wrote her college entrance essay on the Senate and its powerful hardworking capabilities. She wants to study politics, political science in college and eventually wants to go into politics Funk explained. Her desire to make a difference shines.
“She’s really interested in climate change, and environmental sustainability. She wants to be a change maker, and she sees politics as the vehicle to do that,” Bob Manning, Career Pathways Coordinator, said.
“The only thing I tell readers is just to stay up to date on current events. It’s really important to be educated, especially in today’s society when there’s so much misinformation going around,” Funk said.
