Coeur d’Alene High School Senior, Caleb Torgenson, had stories galore to tell his first week of school.
Not about summer time lake swims, hikes or a part-time job.
Instead, he told his classmates about his summer spent in the halls of Congress, on the Senate floor, and socializing with other students from across the country.
“There was a lot of times that I felt like a really, really small person in a really, really big world,” Toregenson said of his month as a page for the United States Senate.
The 17-year-old shared his experience with the Coeur d’Alene board of trustees at their Sept. 8 meeting.
It started when Torgenson began looking for summer programs this spring.
“My family has always kept me politically aware,” he said. “But it has always been more just being aware, kind of a hobby.”
His parents both have STEM degrees, his father is a physician at Kootenai Health and his mother worked for a pharmaceutical company. Even his grandfather worked as a tool and die maker.
Torgenson said he hadn’t had much exposure to social studies and is thinking about majoring in political science, so he wanted a summer program that gave him some experience to make sure he was making the right choice.
He quickly found the Senate page program, but knew it would be a long shot to get in. The program only accepts 30 pages per session. Those pages, who set senators up for speeches, run documents and generally assist with chamber operations, are sponsored by senators.
The chance to sponsor a page is based on seniority with only some states receiving a spot each session.
Toregenson took a chance and emailed both of Idaho’s senators. Sen. Mike Crapo’s staff emailed him about a week later, asking for a formal application but cautioning the teen not to get his hopes up.
“I didn’t really think anything was going to happen,” Torgenson said.
But two months later, Crapo’s Chief of Staff emailed him with an offer of a page position.
Torgenson spent the next few months gearing up for the experience and completing his first round of the extensive onboarding paperwork required for federal jobs.
At the start of July, he moved into the page’s residence. The pages surrendered their cell phones for the month, which Toregenson said led to their first bonding experience of running off to a Starbucks for everyone to check their Advanced Placement test scores on the first day of work.
Because of the new environment and lack of technology, the pages quickly formed strong bonds, Torgenson said. Having lived in Idaho most of his life, there was some culture shock, he said.
“The geographical diversity was one of my biggest takeaways from this program,” Toregenson said. “It was the biggest impression on me, I think.”
The group discussed politics, their world views and life back home.
“I never really had like deep conversations with people who were so far spread out and they had such interesting perspectives,” Torgenson said. “I never had met someone with a real southern accent.”
One of the other pages likened the experience to walking into a television show they had been watching their whole lives, with famous politicians and world leaders just feet away, Torgenson said.
The experience made Toregenson more sure than ever that a career in politics is for him, but maybe not in D.C.
He struggled with city life and is thinking about staying out West and working in state politics.
“The natural beauty of the West … I really had a tough time,” Toregenson said. “I didn’t see a star the whole time I was over there and that really bothered me.”
The biggest takeaway from the experience, Torgenson said, was to seize the opportunities in front of him. He almost gave up on the program when he couldn’t find information about applying on either of the Idaho senators’ websites.
“By taking that extra step and contacting both of my senators, I had a door opened for me that I wouldn’t have had otherwise because I didn’t want to send an email,” he said. “I’m just really, really grateful.”