Evan Johnson, Iowa’s Congressional Page

Washington, D.C.— High school junior Evan Johnson, from Ames, Iowa, is getting a very different kind of education these days. Rather than learning about the political process at home or in a classroom, he’s learning about it from inside the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Evan is one of only a few high school juniors in the entire country who have been given the honor of an appointment to the Congressional Page Program.

Congressional pages are young people who act as support staff for the U.S. House of Representatives. They come to Washington, D.C. for either a six-month or three-week program, continue with their core curriculum if they are appointed during the school year and learn about the legislative process from a vantage point usually reserved for elected officials. Pages have been helping congress for over 200 years, the earliest of which started in 1827. Throughout those years the program has expanded and matured, setting up the Capitol Page School, admitting girls and African-Americans, and creating a safe and secure dormitory for pages to live in while they are in Washington.

For Evan Johnson, the day starts early with classes at 6:45 a.m. in what may possibly be the most exciting classroom in the world: the Library of Congress. Pages continue their core curriculum while they’re in Washington, but must attend classes when congress is not conducting business. Aside from his congressional duties, Evan is taking courses in international relations, energy and public policy, leadership studies, British literature and pre-calculus with trigonometry. Homework is done after America’s business is done, which can be the cause for some late nights.

When classes are done, Evan and the other pages go to work. “I’m mainly a runner,” he says when asked about what kind of duties he performs. “Runners move documents between congressional offices and the cloakroom in the Capitol building.” The Clerk of the House of Representatives notes, “Pages assist Members with their legislative duties, deliver correspondence and small packages within the congressional complex, answer phones in the Member Cloakrooms and prepare the House Floor for sessions.”

The work is often made up of long hours when congress is in session. Even with early curfews in the dorm, pages can sometimes find themselves up late doing homework and staying on top of their studies. Burning the midnight oil while reading about energy policy is a joke not lost on many of these eager teenagers.

Congressional pages are nominated by sitting members of congress. Evan was nominated by Iowa Congressman Tom Latham, who is also from Evan’s hometown of Ames. “Evan is a bright young man,” said Latham. “I’m proud to be sponsoring him in the page program. He’s doing a great job keeping up with the schedule and there’s no doubt about how much time and effort he puts into the job.”

“Congressman Latham has been really helpful.” Said Evan. “I’ve really appreciated how willing he’s been to work with me and my family to make sure my time here goes smoothly.”

High school students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in their core curriculum usually apply during their sophomore year and must be 16 years old when their appointment begins. It also helps if they have an interest in government. “I’ve had an interest in government for a while,” said Evan. “And history. It’s great to be able to spend time in such a historic place.” While not every 16 year-old is interested in government, those who do can often use the page program to their advantage. A number of congressmen began their careers in government service by taking part in the Congressional Page Program.

Before coming to Washington, Evan, who is 6’4”, played center guard for two different basketball teams: the Ames Vision and the Maranatha Mustangs. Now he gets his exercise walking the miles of corridors in the various offices of the House of Representatives and the Capitol building. In fact, one of the few stated requirements for page program applicants is listed on the House Clerk’s website as, “Walk considerable distances in a day.”

While the day of a page might be long, arduous and exhausting, there are still many things that keep the job interesting and fun for a 16 year old. Evan mentioned the fact that he gets to meet famous and important people quite frequently. He also gets to hear floor debates—in person—on legislation that can affect every American. During the early part of his time on the Hill, Evan was on the floor of the House Chamber during debates on ethics and national security (FISA).

With all the running around, the early-morning classes, the late-night homework and the stress of making sure members of congress are getting timely information, Evan still thinks highly of the program, saying “The page program is run very well. The work is great. I highly recommend it.”

Asked if there are any life lessons he has learned since becoming a page, Evan said, “the importance of working together on issues that can be divisive.” He added, “It’s really the ability to compromise. You don’t compromise on everything, but I’m learning to figure out when compromising is important.”

After the program, Evan plans to return to Ames for the summer, work for a property management firm and go to a youth conference with his church. Evan’s plans for college include Iowa State University, but like a smart politician... he’s keeping his options open.

Interested in the Congressional Page Program? Would you like to know how to nominate a student-candidate? Contact Iowa Congressman Tom Latham’s district headquarters at 515-232-2885.

 
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