Senior Katie Gehrt and Laura Meyers recently obtained the opportunity to work as Senate pages for a day. Although they both assumed that the experience would be extremely tedious, the experience exceeded their expectations.

“Senator Julia Lynn made it both fun and educational. It was nothing like what I anticipated,” Gehrt said.

During their day as pages, Gehrt and Meyers ate lunch with Sen. Lynn. At this time, Gehrt and Meyers were permitted to ask her political and somewhat personal questions.

“This was the best part. We got to find out so much about her life and her political experiences first-hand,” Gehrt said.

While there, Gehrt and Meyers were able to interact with numerous government officials as well.

“We met the Kansas Secretary of State  Kris Kobach, a few other Kansas senators, Rep. Willie Dove, Senate president, Susan Wagle  and Gov. Sam Brownback,”
Meyers said.

Through these interactions, both girls gained both political experience as well as other benefits for the future.

“I plan to major in political science and  hopefully law school after that. Sen. Lynn is also a political science major and she helped me explore my career options. Sen. Lynn is also writing me recommendation letters for potential scholarships and hopefully for law school when that time comes,” Gehrt said.

“My experiences and contacts that I have gained from my times as a Senate page have already started to benefit me. I have a meeting with the executive director of the Kansas Press Association next week. The fact that I’m already sharing my stories is super cool. If I’m going to be Sarah Palin II, I need to start now,” Meyers said.

Both Gehrt and Meyers recognize the benefits of being a Senate page for a day.

“If any other student is even slightly interested in government, or just curious, I highly recommend letting their counselor know, that way he or she can hook you up,” Meyers said.