WASHINGTON –William Jenner is familiar with his way around the halls of Southside High School, but beginning January 28^th he’ll have to learn to navigate the halls of the U.S. Capitol.

Jenner, a 16-year-old junior, will serve as a Senate Page for the 2013 spring session after earning an appointment from U.S. Senator John Boozman.

“When you look at all that William has accomplished during his young life, you can’t help but be proud of him and excited for Arkansas’s future. I look forward to welcoming him to Washington, D.C. where he will get to experience first-hand how our representative democracy works while serving as a U.S. Senate Page. This will be a very rewarding program for him as he participates in the daily operations of the Senate and learns the inner-working of the legislative branch. He will be an asset to me and my colleagues in the Senate as we form policies and debate legislation that will have an impact on him, his family and all Americans,” Boozman said.  

“I am honored to be selected by Senator Boozman to serve in the Senate as a Page. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about the way our government works. I appreciate the chance to support Senator Boozman and the work he does on behalf of Arkansans. I am very humbled to be chosen for such a prestigious program, being one of only thirty pages who work in the Senate. I am very blessed to have this chance to live, work and go to school in Washington, D.C. I am looking toward the amazing experience of it all,” Jenner said.

Jenner is a varsity football player for the Southside Rebels and a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta math honor society. As an active volunteer in the community, Jenner has worked on the Mayor Ray Baker Habitat for Humanity house and painted rooms at the Salvation Army. He is a member of the board for the Christmas Honors program and having lost his dad to cancer, is helping other kids who have lost a parent or close family member to cancer by volunteering at Camp Compassion, an annual camp sponsored by Peachtree Hospice. Jenner is involved in his church youth group and is an award winning classically trained pianist. 

Instead of remembering his locker combination, Jenner will be remembering the names and faces of 100 of the nation’s most influential political leaders. He will serve as one of 30 Senate Pages who are responsible for preparing the Senate chamber for the day’s business by distributing documents to the Senator’s desks, assisting in the cloakrooms and chambers; and when Congress is in session, they sit near the dais waiting to help Senators. In addition, Jenner will attend classes and live in the Daniel Webster Page Residence near the Hart Senate Office Building. 

“To come in contact with other pages from across the nation as well as the most powerful people in this nation will be inspiring. I am looking forward to this amazing experience. The opportunity to see first-hand how Congress runs is great as I have only seen what is told by the media and what is taught in the textbooks. I am told the school is very demanding and I look forward to getting the education offered there,” Jenner said. 

Jenner is the son of Kyra Jenner and the late Monty Hogue. Following graduation from high school he hopes to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD and eventually pursue a medical degree.

The Senate Page program started in 1829 when Senator Daniel Webster appointed the first Senate Page. Today, this is a prestigious appointment of high school juniors with a strong academic standing.