Joliet Central High School student selected as Senate page for semester

Joliet Central High School junior Nathaniel Schultz was selected to serve as a U.S. Senate page this semester, one of only 30 selected throughout the country.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, personally appointed and sponsored Schultz, and according to a Joliet Township High School news release, Schultz agreed without hesitation.

"Nate is an incredibly dedicated student that excels at everything he does," teacher Joseph Hoyt said in the release. "I've had the privilege to work with him for two years and witness his growth as a student, a leader and as a person. There's no doubt that Nate will make a great impression while serving the Senate, and I'm going to miss having him at Central."

Schultz and the other pages will move to Daniel Webster Hall in Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks and will work through mid-January. Pages attend classes in the early morning at the U.S. Senate Page School, and afterward fulfill their page duties at the Capitol.

According to the Senate website, the first page was a 9-year-old boy named Grafton Hanson in 1829. The duties of a page primarily are delivering correspondences and legislative material within the congressional complex. Other duties include preparing the chamber for Senate sessions and carrying bills and amendments to the desk.

The application to become a Senate page required Schultz to submit a resume, an essay, transcripts and letters of recommendation.

"Nathaniel can engage those around him in discussion that seek to find solutions and not sides," history teacher Gandhi Schlote said. "Above all, his selfless approach to solution-based discourse will be his ally as a Senate page."

During his time at Central, Schultz has shown great interest in politics, meeting with a local City Council member to discuss local issues and canvassing for local campaigns. He served as an honorary page for Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Joliet, last spring.

He said he hopes this opportunity will help him in his goals of studying policy and foreign diplomacy in college at places such as Georgetown University, American University or the University of Chicago.

"It's also really important to stay informed about local, state and national politics," Schultz said. "Now is one of the most important times to be informed in American history. In addition to being informed, be active to make a difference. Knowledge and action need to go together."