South Range student to work in U.S. Senate

January 19, 2015 at 4:32p.m.

GREENFORD

As Hazel Minich begins her first day as a Senate Page Tuesday, it’s about helping people.

Her grandfather, who lives in Pennsylvania, first mentioned the program to her when she was in middle school, but it had drifted to the back of her mind until this fall.

“He’s always inspired me to be interested in politics and just take that route in my life and serve justice in our system,” said Minich, the 16-year-old Greenford resident.

She is a junior at South Range, applied in September and is one of 30 Senate Pages over the next few months in Washington, D.C.

She describes what she will be doing as a cross between an intern and a secretary.

The office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, told her she was accepted on Dec. 23. She had a phone interview in November for the position.

That led to a fast turnaround, from making sure credits would be transferable to South Range, to shopping for her dorm room supplies. Pages are paid for their work, and they balance work and school during the program in the state capital. The work will be anything from delivering correspondence on the Senate floor to preparing the chambers for that day’s session. Minich will also continue her German language studies on Sundays while away from home.