While working at the Capitol, I have learned several life lessons, which have become valued souvenirs. With every job senators gave me, I learned new skills.

Whether it is arriving early in the morning or getting a task done on time, punctuality is essential and valued. Pages often have 12-hour work days starting at 7 a.m. Managing your time well is necessary to be efficient. It shows that you are dedicated to your work and that you are capable of responsibility and professionalism.

Your superiors will respect your contribution to the whole no matter what, even if they seem minor. For every minute pages spend walking to get House Files and filing bills, our senators are able to spend more time calling constituents, making deals, and improving the state. For the most part, our most basic tasks are much appreciated. Doing little tasks are like the gears in a clock. The people on the outside see the face, the senators making decisions, when so much is going on behind the scenes helping the hands move.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was if you do not want to do something twice, do it right the first time. If a senator, or other Capital employee, asks you to do something and you did not do it correctly, they are not afraid to let you know it. Many times pages would make a coffee wrong or file something incorrectly and would be asked to redo it until the job was done correctly. But sometimes second chances are not given. Sometimes you have one shot and you can’t mess up.

The purpose of an opportunity like the page program is to learn new skills and take them with you. I am so glad have learned these important life lessons to apply to my future career because these lessons are priceless.