Every year since 1970, 105 highschool seniors have been selected from across Maryland to serve as student pages during the annual Maryland General Assembly (MGA) session (dls.maryland.gov) . This year, four of Severna Park High School’s very own were chosen for the program– Amelia Farrar, Aidan Judge, Zach McGrath and Kayla Patel.

During the 13 weeks of the MGA, pages serve two weeks in the chamber and assist legislators throughout the session. 

“We’re basically there to be the gophers for the legislators,” Farrar said, adding that they do coffee runs or deliver messages. “But in actuality, we have a lot of opportunities to observe legislative proceedings. We get to watch debates and testimony on various bills and hearings, and then watch votes on said bills.”

To apply for the program, Anne Arundel County (AACo) students had to submit two essays before being interviewed by County coordinators at the Board of Education. While the application process is highly competitive and attracts students from all over the state, Severna Park High School holds the highest number of student pages within AACo in the 2023 session.

When asked about her reaction to being selected for the program, Farrar said “I was super excited! I had been a little nervous, especially since the acceptance letter came in the mail in a fancy little envelope that made it seem like a huge deal. But I was really happy to hear the good news.”

All four students have already served their first week as a page and will return for a second week soon. It is certain that each is thoroughly enjoying their experience.

“Since paging I’ve started following state politics closer, and there is so much legislative potential coming out of this session,” Judge said, who also discussed meeting various legislators as his favorite part of the program.

Despite the many experiences Farrar and Judge shared, they agreed that the highlight of the program was meeting Governor Wes Moore, whom both added has a great handshake. 

“It’s also been so cool to talk with so many senators from such diverse backgrounds that represent such broad coalitions of people,” Farrar said, “Not only that, but learning from my fellow pages has also been amazing… the sessions on the floor have been so interesting to see, but honestly, the conversations in the Page Lounge are just as memorable.”

Regardless of what career or education the students hope to pursue in the future, all believe that the MGA page program has helped them in attaining their goals.

“I’ve always wanted to explore political themes through film, but having this experience will allow me to activate these beliefs further,” Judge said.

Judge will attend New York University’s film school this fall and hopes to become a filmmaker.

For students like Farrar, this opportunity is hopefully the first of many to be involved with politics. 

“I’ve always known that I wanted to get into politics and law, but of course actual political opportunities can be scarce for high schoolers,” said Farrar, “I’ve been doing mock trial for years, and I’ve worked at the State’s Attorney’s office… but I’ve never had a front row seat like this into the world of politics. It’s definitely made me want to pursue more educational and work related opportunities in the same field.”

Students interested in learning more about the page program and application can visit www.aacps.org. 

“I knew this was going to be a good experience, but it absolutely exceeded my expectations,” Judge said, “I definitely recommend applying for this, even if you’re not interested in politics or government as a career”.