So, who, exactly, gets to be a congressional page?

[Keseys Ghost]

My kid hasn't been invited yet.

Your thoughts?

[Erika]

1. The parents are normally a big donor and political operative

It's a payback to the parents for their support and donations.

[Keseys Ghost]

2. Payback is hell

[beaconess]

7. Not necessarily true

All sorts of kids get to be pages - yes, sometimes they are the kids of well-connected parents. But more often than not, they are normal kids with excellent school records.

[onenote]

8. link?

[valerief]

3. Not the teens who get invited to be reservists in Iraq. nt

[catnhatnh]

4. Same as those who attend our service academies...

...a large percentage of the scions of wealth and influence and a much smaller percentage that arrive by ability and persistance...

[dave502d]

5. "catnhatnh" That what i would have said. n/t

[shain from kane]

6. I don't remember everything, but in 1966 or 1967 I received an invitation

out of the blue to become a page or intern in Congress, while I was still in high school. I don't think that my parents donated one dime to any politician. I assumed that it was based on grades and interest in politics, or that I was nominated by a teacher. I seem to remember that it was so low pay or volunteer work that my parents would have had to foot the bill for all of my expenses, which they definitely could not afford. We had a big laugh over it.

[onenote]

9. from wikipedia

For what its worth:

In order to become a US Senate Page, one must first be nominated by a Senator, generally from his or her State. Senators are granted a chance to nominate a Page based on seniority. Generally, senators who have served the longest are guaranteed Pages, but there are occasions in which less senior senators nominate Pages. A prospective candidate must be a 16 or 17 year-old high school junior (11th grade) with at least a 3.0 GPA. Additional processes for selection vary from different sponsoring senators' offices. Typically, a senators' office will require the applicant to submit a transcript, resume, and essay. The process is similar to that of selecting an office intern. After a senator (or likely one of his/her staff) has reviewed all the submissions, one is appointed.

US Senate Pages can apply for appointment to one of four terms: a five-month Fall semester (September-January), a five-month Spring semester (January-June), or one of the two several-week summer sessions in June and July. Those selected to serve during the summer period may serve either the summer directly before or directly after their junior year of high school.

During the fall and spring semesters, there are up to 30 Pages. The majority appoints 18, while the minority appoints 12. In the summer, there is no firm limit on the number of Pages, but it is traditionally in the mid 40s, with the majority again being allowed a greater number