Jorge Granillo’s spring semester of his junior year will be spent at the nation’s Capitol as he was recently selected to serve as Rep. Gene Green’s (District 29) Congressional page in Washington, D.C.

As a 16-year-old student at Pasadena High School, Granillo is the youngest individual Green has chosen to serve as a page. Green called Granillo personally and invited him to Washington. “I offered the Congressional page position to Jorge because he demonstrated in his application that he is an exceptional student who has a great interest in our government,” Green said.

Granillo said he is overwhelmed at this wonderful opportunity. “I would have never imagined that a young man from Pasadena, Texas would be selected to serve as a Congressional page,” he said. “I am still in disbelief.”

The Congressional page program is a competitive one as only 72 candidates nationwide are chosen to serve as pages in the House of Representatives. Before acceptance, applicants must endure rigorous interviews from the member of Congress who chooses to sponsor them as well as the Page Board.

Applicants must also have a cumulative GPA of 3.0, be a junior in high school and be at least 16 years of age to be eligible for the program. Granillo completed and submitted three essays and a 15-page application for the position.

Robin Galvan, Granillo’s sophomore world history teacher, said she nominated him for the position because she knew he met all of the qualifications to be successful as a page. “I am so excited and proud of Jorge,” she said. “He possesses all of the qualities a good student should. Not only is he dependable, hard working and intelligent, but he has a great amount of self-confidence as well. He is willing to try anything.”

Granillo said he is most grateful for Galvan’s support and encouragement. “Mrs. Galvan has been instrumental in getting me where I am today,” he said. “She will be the teacher that, 20 years from now, I will look back and say, ‘Wow, what an incredible impact this teacher has made on my life’s outlook.’”

Granillo has had a passion for computers since childhood and would like to be a computer programmer but said he recently developed a “new” passion. “I want to make a change in our country,” he said. “My interest in politics has recently begun to grow dramatically. If I am to pursue a political career, then this would be a fantastic start on trying to make this country a better one.”

Granillo will be living in Washington in a dorm until he returns home in June. He is required to attend classes five days a week from 6:45 to 10:30 every morning. The classes will all be AP courses and Granillo will maintain his academic standing at Pasadena High by attending these classes. Granillo will also participate in the Washington Interdisciplinary Studies program, which is a seminar program that hosts guest speakers and field trips for the pages.

Although Granillo is nervous about living on his own in a different state and facing new challenges, he said he is also very anxious. “Being away from my family for so long will certainly be challenging,” he said. “And I’m also a little nervous about going to a new city. But this experience will help me become more independent and it will help me learn many important life lessons. Not only will I be able to see many historical sites that I have only read about in books, but I’ll also have the opportunity to meet many important people in our country.”

Granillo’s responsibilities don’t end with rigorous coursework. Every day after class, Granillo also will work in the House until the session is over, which at times, lasts until late at night. Green said pages also are responsible for running the bell system, which signals the House is in session and when to vote as well as assisting in the cloakrooms and chambers.

“Being a page gives students invaluable experience in Washington,” Green said. “Many former pages have gone on to become Members of Congress and congressional staffers. I hope that Jorge will learn more about the political process during his time in Washington.”

Granillo thinks it’s important for students to be exposed to academic and real-world experiences as they serve as a positive challenge. “Opportunities such as this one help us advance further in life much more quickly than we would without them,” Granillo said. “It prepares us for life and the uphill battles we have to fight early on. We often limit ourselves to what we can do, and challenging ourselves with activities such as this one will help us see that we are capable of much more than we realize.”

For the time he works in the House, Granillo will receive a monthly salary of $1,461.00, but will not receive his first check until he has worked a full month. Galvan provide Granillo with a digital camera and the deposit for his bank account. The rest of the Pasadena High staff has donated money for clothing, food, dorm fees, phone cards and for other items and expenses needed for Granillo’s first month in Washington. The Police Officers’ Association also provided Granillo with hotel rooms for the days before his dorm opens. Granillo also recently received a Dell laptop and case from Best Buy.

“The teachers at my school have been more than magnificent,” Granillo said. “It’s amazing how they responded to my pleas for help, which was organized by Mrs. Galvan. I am so very grateful for everyone’s generosity.”

Galvan said she thinks it’s important for teachers to support their students to provide them with life-changing experiences. “As teachers, educated individuals, we have been exposed to many different situations that we often take for granted,” she said. “Our students often have limited or no exposure to anything positive and often because of this lack of exposure, they don’t even dream of the possibilities that are out there. Sometimes I think as teachers it’s not our job to make the dream come true for our students, but to teach them how to dream. Jorge has been looking for an opportunity like this one to come along. I hope he has a fabulous time and is eager to start looking for another opportunity upon his return.”