Have you ever wanted to see politics from the inside? To see the legislative process firsthand? To meet the governor and lawmakers of your state? I had the opportunity to do all these things and more when I participated in my state House Page Program and Governor’s Page Program.

A page is a young person who runs errands and otherwise assists government officials in their daily duties. As the purposes of the different branches vary, so are the responsibilities of the pages that serve in that branch. I experienced this when I served two one-week terms as a page, one week in my state house of representatives and the other in my governor’s office. Several states offer their youth the opportunity to serve their state in this capacity.

The page programs are a great opportunity to meet all kinds of new people. During my experience I met elected officials such as my local representative and the governor, appointed officials like the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Commerce Department, as well as teens from all over the state of North Carolina. I even got to meet the daughter of the Clerk of the Canadian Parliament, who was serving as a fellow page. I met people from all sorts of different backgrounds and even made a few friends.

The experiences I had differed when I was a House page and when I served as a governor’s page. For instance, the week I served as a House page both publicly educated students and homeschoolers served. In contrast, my week as a governor’s page was reserved for homeschooled students only.

Also the freedom I was allowed varied between the two programs.

The first program I was involved in was the North Carolina House of Representatives Page Program. In this program one of my duties was serving in committee meetings, helping set up chairs and distributing folders prior to the meeting, and getting water for the representatives if they got thirsty. When not in a committee meeting, we were at times asked to deliver mail throughout three of the central government buildings. Our most important duty was serving during the actual session of the House, where the actual voting occurs. The pages were stationed at intervals around the room, available if one of the congressmen needed a message delivered, an item retrieved from his office, or just a cup of water.

When we were not busy running errands we sat in a room set aside for the pages, and that is where I had the time to develop relationships with my fellow pages. We could play games, or we could just sit and talk. When lunch hour came, I could join a group that was leaving to dine at a nearby restaurant. We also had a senator speak to us and ask our opinion on relevant political issues. The House Page Program was just as much an opportunity to learn about people as it was to learn about the legislative process. In contrast, the Governor’s Page Program was more about individual rather than group responsibility. Each page was assigned several buildings throughout the government complex where they were responsible to deliver mail. We were also assigned to a department that we were supposed to learn about and aid in any tasks that we were asked to do, such as shredding papers or delivering notes. I was assigned to the Department of Commerce, and one of the most interesting things I learned about that department was that it is responsible for trying to get movies filmed in my home state.

Being a governor’s page isn’t all about work, though. We toured the capitol building, the legislative building, and a prison. We also visited several museums and had the opportunity to serve at either a daycare or a soup kitchen. I had a lot more freedom being a governor’s page than a House page. I got to see more of the facets of state government by delivering mail to different buildings. I developed an appreciation for how many people it takes for government to work. I truly enjoyed my experience as a governor’s page.

For those who would like to get involved in a state page program, there are certain criteria you must meet. First of all, you must reside in the state offering the program. Other states currently offering this program are Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. You also must be sponsored by a member belonging to the legislative branch in which you wish to serve. For applications, contact your legislative office or your state homeschool organization. In addition, you are required to be in good academic standing and have a social security number. The terms that pages serve vary from three days to six weeks, depending on the state you live in and the time of year you serve. These are the basic requirements for serving as a page, though each state may have additional specifications, as well as have varying degrees of selectivity. In my case, my state homeschool organization helps coordinate the involvement of homeschool students in the page programs, and this was a big help in sorting through the requirements and paperwork.

Being a page is a great opportunity to learn about your state government and to meet people. For students interested in government or history, the page program is the perfect way not only to experience government firsthand but also to influence the opinions government officials have toward homeschooled students. So if your state offers a page program, I would strongly recommend that you participate. You just might enjoy it as much as I did.

Bradley Harper, the son of William and Amelia Harper, is a 17-year-old homeschool student entering his senior year. Currently, he also works at a grocery store and takes dual enrollment courses at the local community college. He has been homeschooled his whole life.