Junior Serves as Senate Page

Junior Kyle Feitler spent the first semester of this academic year immersed in a hands-on experience learning more about Congress as a Senate Page for Illinois Senator Dick Durbin.

Feitler originally heard about the Senate Page program from his father, who served as a Page for Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire as a high school junior. His dad had nothing but positive things to say about his experience, so his son took the initiative to find the program and apply online during his junior year. “I have always been fascinated by politics and thought it would be fun to see how the government works firsthand,” shared Feitler.

According to the website, Page duties consist primarily of delivery of correspondence and legislative material within the Congressional Complex. Other duties include taking messages for members, calling them to the phone, preparing the Chamber for Senate sessions and carrying bills and amendments to the desk.

Said Feitler, “My day started very early at 4:45 a.m. I attended Senate Page school from 6 to 10 a.m., when we reported to work. As Pages, we were available to help any of the senators with tasks ranging from simple things like getting water to delivering documents. Pages were supervised by the cloakroom, and our duties changed daily.”

He summed up: “It was a worthwhile experience to be independent and live on my own. I learned a lot about the inner workings of the government and got to see the different perspectives of both sides of the Senate. I was present at the inauguration of the 118th Senate. I also had the opportunity to explore Washington, which was a lot of fun. Despite being a very challenging and rigorous experience, I highly recommend it.”