The following was provided by the Senate Page Program:
Akash Mungra, 15, served as a page in the Washington State Senate during the week of Feb. 11.
Pages are sponsored by the Senator from their legislative district, or by another senator in the legislature. Senator Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, sponsored Mungra’s week at the Capitol.
“It was so much fun to have Akash with us this week,” said Wellman. “I hope that he enjoyed his time in the Legislature and was able to learn a lot.”
The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. The educational experience is furthered by guest speakers. It also includes classes with topics like budget writing and how a bill becomes a law, which culminates in pages creating their own bills in a mock committee setting.
“Getting to see people in action, in their jobs has been one of my favorite parts of being a page,” said Mungra. “To see the senators hard at work on the Floor was awesome.”
Pages also have the opportunity to work on the Senate floor. Their maroon coats and credentials allow them access to all parts of the Capitol Campus.
“Even though I am not that interested in politics, this was a great chance to learn about something totally new to me. It’s a lot of information that I definitely need to know,” added Mungra.
Mungra is in 10th grade at Raisbeck Aviation High School, where he is an active member of the speech and debate team. In his free time, he enjoys computer programming, and is taking piano lessons. He was motivated to learn after his many hours of listening to piano music while studying.
