During the week of Feb. 23, Erik Nielsen of Seattle served as a page in the Washington State Senate. Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, sponsored Nielsen’s weeklong experience in the Legislature.

“It was great having Erik here this week,” Kohl-Welles said. “He is a sharp student and eager to learn more about state government.”

During the week pages assist senators and staff, attend lectures with guest speakers and go to page school where they create their own bills in a mock committee setting. Nielsen and a fellow page drafted a bill that would change Washington’s state flag to any state major league team’s flag, for two weeks, if they went on to the championships. The bill passed through committee. “It was a fun bill,” Nielsen said. “And a unique idea.”

Nielsen had toured the Capitol and learned about the page program through one of the tour guides. “I like government. I’ve been to D.C., and I thought it would be a fun and educational experience,” Nielsen said. “Plus, it looks good on college applications.”

The most interesting parts of the program for Nielsen were paging on the Senate floor and sitting in on committees.

“Seeing how it all works, the whole process, was really interesting and helped me understand why government seems to run slowly,” Nielsen said. “But there were bills that all the senators unanimously agreed on.”

Nielsen sat in on a transportation committee hearing. “It was all very procedural, and kind of hard to follow. There were a lot of substitutes. They have multiple options of solving the problems,” Nielsen said.
The biggest challenge for Nielsen during the page program was always trying to be productive.

“Some page tasks can be done electronically, so the pages feel less needed now,” Nielsen said. “But it’s still important to stay useful and occupied. I’ve had many nice conversations with the security guards in my downtime.”

Nielsen met with Kohl-Welles on the Senate Floor.

“She was very nice, we talked about my school and my favorite activities,” Nielsen said. “Turns out her kids went to my high school.”

In addition to politics and government, Nielsen is involved with speech and debate, and marketing for his school musicals. He wants to be a CEO someday. “I think I would make a good CEO because I have a strong sense of morals and leadership,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen, 16, is a junior at Bishop Blanchet High School and also participates in Boy Scouts and student government.