Congressional Aides

An extremely valuable—but highly competitive—learning opportunity is to work as a page. Pages serve members of the Senate (the House of Representatives closed its program in 2011). According to the U.S. Senate's page Web site, "Senate page duties consist primarily of delivery of correspondence and legislative material within the Congressional complex. Other duties include preparing the chamber for Senate sessions, and carrying bills and amendments to the desk. Pages attend classes in the early morning at the United States Senate Page School." The length of a page's service varies from one summer to one year. Applicants must be high school juniors and at least 16 years old. Contact your state's senators for an application.

You can also gain some insight into the work of a congressional aide through local efforts: volunteer for various school committees, take an active part in clubs, and become involved in school government. Campaigns for local elections rely a lot on volunteers, so find out about ways you can support your favorite candidate. Keep a close watch over current events by reading newspapers and news magazines. With an understanding of current issues, you can take a stand and express your opinions to your local, state, and federal representatives. After retiring its annual Congressional Yellow Book, which contained the addresses, phone numbers, and biographical information for members of Congress and their aides, Leadership Connect made the data available digitally (https://www.leadershipconnect.io/products/print-leadership-directories). You can use this source to express your views on an issue to your representatives. By contacting your Congress members' offices, you'll be talking to congressional aides and learning something about their responsibilities. Check to see if your local library has access to this resource.