Augustus Booker, a senior at Bellingham High School, served as a page for the Washington State Senate the week of Feb. 6. Sen. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham) sponsored his week at the Legislature.
The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. During the week-long interactive learning experience, students get a first-hand look at the legislative process and get to explore the Capitol campus by assisting senators and their staff. Along with the practical experience, pages are also taught about state government by staff and by guest speakers.
“I applied to be a page so that I could learn more about the intricate legislative procedure and decorum of politics, as opposed to the campaigning and elections and polls I follow,” he said. “Elections and polls I already know about, so I wanted to learn more about the procedure itself.”
Booker said that his favorite part of the experience was watching a debate on the Senate floor.
“My favorite part was sitting in and watching the debate on a particular bill in the Senate about advisory votes,” he said, “and people going back and forth and responding to people’s amendments and arguments about those amendments.”
In the future, Booker plans to go to university and study abroad.
“In the immediate future, I plan on going to college at Willamette, but possibly first taking a gap year in Argentina through the Rotary Youth Exchange,” he said. “Past that, my dream job, as of now, would be something like a policy advisor, so that I could be in a specific field like economics.”
Shewmake said that she is glad Booker is “intent on finding a way to give back to his community” and appreciated his interest in the study of economics.
For more information about the Senate Page Program, contact SenatePageProgram@leg.wa.gov.
Senator Sharon Shewmake with Page Augustus Booker – Feb. 10, 2023
