Nov 18, 2024
One year ago Adrianna Benda attended the Legislative Symposium and Iowa FFA Day At the Capitol! It was that day that she decided she would like to serve as a Page at the Iowa Capitol. Fast forward to Tuesday, January 31, and not only is Adrianna a Page in the House of Representatives, but works with a group of individuals who respect her dedication to the National FFA Organization and gave her the opportunity to join her chapter at the 38th Legislative Symposium and Iowa FFA Day at the Capitol with members of the Central Trail FFA.
Adrianna began her experience by visiting with FFA members that had served in the role as a Page to determine if she would enjoy the opportunity. After deciding this was definitely something that she could see in her future, Adrianna completed an application, included a letter of recommendation, and parent permission. At this point, once her application was selected she completed an interview in order to receive final selection.
Pages begin their work in January and work the entire legislative session, which generally ends in May. As stated by the Iowa Legislative Page Program; “ Pages learn to accept a large degree of personal responsibility for their work, and the experience helps prepare them for the future demands of academic and professional careers. They learn to respond to organizational priorities and directives and to uphold the standards of confidentiality and professional service. Pages gain a greater understanding of the lawmaking process. Pages also develop meaningful friendships with others and a sense of belonging to a time-honored tradition of public service. They meet and relate to a large group of people from around the state and begin learning how to make good personal decisions as they manage their finances, transportation,work demands,housing,and new friendships”.
Adrianna is undecided on her future plans, but knows her experience as a Page will guide her in this choice. As she stated “you must seize the opportunity of a lifetime in a lifetime of opportunity!”