If you turn on C-SPAN to watch a Senate debate or legislative vote, you may notice a group of teenagers wearing navy suits, white button-down tops, and lapel pins walking across the Senate floor. Every fall, spring, and summer, a group of 16 to 17-year-olds move to Washington D.C. to become a part of one of the most powerful institutions in the world. This high pressure, rigorous program is known for accelerating the careers of its young participants, giving them a firsthand look at the inner workings of Congress. One of those participants is Camillia Baker, a Page in the U.S. Senate. Just like Camillia, U.S. Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch, Colorado senator Michael Bennet, and Virginia representative Abigail Spanberger once worked as Senate Pages.
Camillia’s passion for policy first began in her freshman year upon watching a demo debate for our school’s Speech and Debate team. She was mesmerized by the debater’s ability to contextualize issues that appeared awfully abstract, and while she knew she wanted to join, she was discouraged by her lack of political knowledge. But Camillia was determined to persevere, so she spent hours each day reading articles, listening to podcasts, and watching videos to build a foundation of current events and government operations. When her sophomore year began, she joined the Public Forum Debate and further delved into analyzing policy while also learning to present it to the public in a palatable manner. The more Camillia learned, the more eager she became not just to read about current affairs, but to get involved. Over the summer was when she really decided to get herself involved. Camillia received some rousing news, she was chosen as a Page in the United States Senate.
To get some input from her perspective, I asked how she felt. She stated, “When I received the news of my selection, I was overwhelmed with a profound sense of honor and excitement. It was a chance to actively participate in the legislative process and witness one of the greatest deliberative bodies in action. I felt ecstatic at the prospect of learning more about daily government operations while also receiving an opportunity to serve.” While Camillia was sitting on the rostrum on the phone with the cloakroom telling one of the other Pages that they needed to get Senator Michael Bennett set up for a speech, one of their supervisors came onto the floor to tell them that they were going to get to go to the Joint House and Senate session with Vice President Kamala Harris and Indian Prime Minister Modi. This impacted her greatly because as she explained, “The gravity of the event didn’t truly dawn on me until the day of. Once the Senate adjourned, the Senators lined up one after another with the Pages right behind them to walk to the House side of the capitol complex. The entire building was packed with press and security personnel, and the sound of strong supporters of the Prime Minister chanting his name in unison drowned out all conversations. As Prime Minister Modi highlighted the importance of a strong U.S. and India relationship on shared goals such as infrastructure and economic development, I was reminded of how just two years ago these concepts would have felt foreign. I was filled with a profound mixture of emotions—a sense of pride in my personal growth, gratitude for the privilege of being one of the select few who had the chance to be on both the Senate and House floors, and excitement for the opportunities that lay ahead in my future endeavors.”
Some impactful moments Camillia experienced serving as a page came during her conversations. Some of these conversations included speaking to Senator Hirono about the barriers she broke when becoming the first Asian American woman elected to the Senate and what drove her to become a maverick, listening to Senator Booker tell her to never confuse “position with purpose” or “wealth with worth”, or even staying up late at night to delve into a discussion about policy with her four roommates – all with different political beliefs – and even finding plenty of common ground, she departed with indispensable lessons which will carry on with Camillia for the rest of her life. In a time when politics often appear increasingly polarized, witnessing the camaraderie in the Senate amongst Senators, staff, Pages, and everyone involved only deepened Camillia’s dedication to public service.
After hearing about Camillia’s extraordinary journey as a Page, it is inspiring to see what an ACP Knight can achieve. If you are looking to make accomplishments and pursue in this field, Camellia has some beneficial advice; while it may sound cliche, she wants everyone to never let anything hold you back. In her story, she added, “If someone had told me just two years ago that I would have the chance to work as a Page in the U.S. Senate, I would have laughed it off as a joke. However, because I possessed the grit and tenacity to overcome these challenges and not let them deter me from trying, I discovered a new passion for policy and public service.” A quote that was truly inspiring to her comes from Frederick B. Wilcox, “Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” Just like Camillia wanted to grow, she believes that you have to be willing to overcome the obstacles in your way even if you don’t fully know what’s on the other side or what the future may hold.
Camillia Baker’s story has moved me and motivated me to do greater things in life. After seeing what Camillia attained, I hope that as a collective ACP family we will believe in ourselves and always strive for the best, go Knights!
If you’d like to read more about Senate Pages, visit https://pageprogram.senate.gov/page-program/
