[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1565-1566]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       SERVICE OF PAGE SAM WOHNS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the Senate Page Program has been an 
intregral part of the functioning of the Senate since its inception in 
1829. Senate pages are always on the Senate floor when the Senate is in 
session, helping to ensure that the proceedings in the Chamber run 
smoothly and efficiently. Pages also are asked to complete a variety of 
other tasks when the Senate is not in session. We ask a lot of our 
Senate pages, and they always respond. A page is not only expected to 
serve the needs of the Senate, which is an important and time-consuming 
task, but also is expected to attend school and complete the necessary 
requirements of a high school junior.
  Senator Daniel Webster selected the first Senate page. In those days, 
as is the case today, a page was chosen and sponsored by a Senator. 
There is a long and fine tradition of pages chosen by Michigan 
Senators, and I am proud to have sponsored many pages that have ably 
and responsibly served the Senate.
  Sam Wohns, Michigan's most recent Senate page, completed his service 
as a Senate page last month with dedication and enthusiasm. Sam is a 
part of a fine tradition and a select group that has had the privilege 
to serve as a Senate page. He has proven through his hard work in the 
Senate and through his many successes in the past that he, like many of 
his peers, are some of our ation's best and brightest. This experience 
has prepared him well to meet future challenges, as it has for the many 
that have preceded him.
  Each semester the Senate Page School conducts an essay competition. 
Every page is given the opportunity to submit an essay that reflects 
their thoughts about their experience as a page. The winner earns the 
right to deliver that essay at the closing ceremony for his or her page 
class. Sam Wohn's essay was selected as the winning essay last month, 
and it is clear from his essay that this past semester

[[Page 1566]]

has had a positive and inspirational impact on him and his fellow 
pages.
  It is a distinct honor to be chosen as a Senate page, and the work 
that this page class has done is valued by all of us in the Senate. I 
know my colleagues join me in thanking each Senate page for a job well 
done. I look forward to hearing about their many successes in the 
future.
  I ask unanimous consent to have the text of Sam Wohn's speech at the 
closing ceremony of his page class last month printed in the 
Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Good morning. It's hard for me to believe that today is our 
     last day of Paging. Part of me feels like I just arrived. I 
     still have so much to learn about our political process and 
     there is still so much more that I want to do in DC. On the 
     other hand, part of me feels like I've been here for years. 
     I'm fully adjusted to dorm life, shortened class periods, and 
     the demands of working at the Senate.
       While I had dreamt of nearly every aspect of being a Page 
     before I first stepped foot in Webster Hall, I hadn't 
     imagined having to leave. Knowing that I'll never again have 
     the opportunity to bring a senator a glass of water or to 
     rush back early from dinner to open doors during a rollcall 
     vote is disheartening, but knowing that I'll have the 
     friendship of my fellow Pages for years to come is 
     encouraging.
       The other Pages from all around the country have enriched 
     my experience more than anything else. And while I did learn 
     the particulars of parliamentary procedure, the proper way to 
     set up an easel, and how to operate on five hours of sleep a 
     night, the most important lesson of this semester has been 
     the value of teamwork. The bond between all of the Pages made 
     no challenge insurmountable and made no hardship unbearable. 
     Without that support network, I think my experience as a Page 
     would have been very different.
       As I was preparing this speech, I came across an email that 
     I sent to my parents in the summer after my freshman year. I 
     described the Page Program as a ``flawless utopia'' in that 
     email. After taking Advanced Composition this semester I know 
     that my word choice, ``flawless utopia,'' was a little 
     redundant, but I think you get the idea--I had high 
     expectations. I expected nothing short of an amazing 
     experience, and my experience was nothing short of amazing.
       Yet, it wouldn't have been as rewarding if it wasn't as 
     challenging as it was. The weeks when I didn't get done with 
     work until ten o'clock at night were the most memorable. I'll 
     never forget the last night of rollcall votes when the senate 
     was in session until after midnight or the last day of 
     legislative business when Senator Levin showed all of the 
     Pages his favorite signatures inside the desks on the floor. 
     I worked long hours, but it certainly didn't seem like work.
       I consider this semester a gift. I feel so fortunate to 
     have been a student in each of my teacher's classrooms, to 
     have made so many great friends, and to have played a role in 
     the functioning of the world's most powerful legislative 
     body. This semester has been a gift of knowledge from my 
     teachers, a gift of friendship from all of the other pages, 
     and a gift of new awareness and perspective that I gained 
     from the many responsibilities all of us Pages shared at the 
     Senate and at Webster Hall.
       Like most gifts in Washington, this one has strings 
     attached. As former Pages, we'll have obligations that we 
     didn't have before. Our firsthand knowledge of the 
     legislative process obligates us to stay informed of current 
     events, our new awareness of some of the deep injustices in 
     the world obligates us to do what we can to address them, and 
     our work experiences obligate us to share our many stories 
     with friends and family.
       Many people have told me that a semester of Paging is 
     similar to the first semester of college. I can only hope 
     that my college experience is as memorable as the last four 
     and a half months. It has been an honor and privilege to 
     serve with you all. I will miss you and yet I know that we 
     are inexorably connected for a lifetime.

                          ____________________