Maria Gonzalez serves as House page for Rep. Dick Muri
Maria Gonzalez, a student at Charles Wright Academy, traveled to Olympia to serve as a page in the state House of Representatives the 12th week of the 2017 legislative session, March 27-31. She was sponsored by Rep. Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom.
“I enjoyed meeting people from other areas of the state,” said Maria. “I really love learning about the Capitol Campus. This week was an amazing experience.”
Maria is a sophomore at Charles Wright Academy. She learned how to navigate the many buildings on the Capital campus, delivering messages and documents to legislators and staff.
“I liked meeting with Rep. Muri for lunch. He gave me some good advice on how to get involved in local and state government,” continued Maria.
Maria is the daughter of George and Barbie Gonzalez. She is a member of the varsity tennis team and academy singers. She has completed over 160 hours of community service. During her stay at the Capitol, she observed the Legislature in action while keeping up with her school work by attending the page school a few hours each day.
“I was delighted to sponsor Maria,” said Muri. “She is intelligent and hard-working. My hope is this experience encourages her to a lifelong commitment to engage in government and local politics.”
Each year, students from around the state apply to participate in the House Page Program. Students spend a week attending page school, learning the inner workings of state government and assisting legislators on the House floor. Pages earn $35 per day while serving in the program. To become a page, applicants must have a legislative sponsor and be between the ages of 14 and 16. Additionally, pages are required to obtain written permission from their parents and school.
House page Maria Gonzalez and Rep. Dick Muri, March 2017.
