Did you know that middle and high school students also have an opportunity to serve in the Florida House of Representatives every year? Meet Isabella Meléndez, a 9th grader at Lake Nona High School who served as a Messenger for State Representative Carolina Amesty during week 3 of this year’s 2023 Regular Legislative Session. Pages and Messengers are students who come to the Capitol and work one week during the 60-day Regular Session. Each of our 120 Representatives may sponsor one Page and one Messenger. Pages and Messengers assist the Representatives and their staff during the Capitol’s busiest time of year while observing state government in action.
The Page & Messenger Program is a long-standing tradition in the Florida House of Representatives. Our historic journals include mention of them as far back as 1865. Each student who serves as a Page or Messenger will have his or her name appear in the Journal of the House. Since Isabella has also previously served as a Page for former State Representative Rene Plasencia back in 2021, she is now mentioned in these historic journals twice.
While performing their duties, Pages and Messengers have the opportunity to observe lawmakers, lobbyists, staff, and constituents working together in the legislative process. Opportunities will include committee meetings, House sessions in the Chamber, and occasionally press conferences with notable people or celebrities. This year’s legislative session in particular was packed with highly publicized policy issues. Isabella was able to sit in on various meetings, observed media interviews and also had meet and greets and/or took photos with several individuals, including: Governor Ron DeSantis; Attorney General Ashley Moody; Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson; House Speaker Paul Renner; State Representatives Danny Alvarez, Carolina Amesty, Demi Busatta-Cabrera, Dan Daley, Alina Garcia, Fred Hawkins, Paula Stark, Taylor Yarkosky; and former State Representative Bob Cortes.
As time allows, Pages and Messengers may also have the opportunity to tour the Governor’s Mansion, the Florida Supreme Court, the Museum of Florida History, and the Historic Capitol. Students often hold a mock session in the House Chamber to put their newfound knowledge to use. This year, Isabella not only served as head chair during the mock session, but she also drafted and presented a mock bill, and advocated for policy changes alongside her fellow student representatives.
The Page & Messenger Program offers students a fun and educational experience that will not be forgotten. For more information on the program, you can reach out to your state elected officials or contact the Florida House of Representatives. Isabella Meléndez lives in VillageWalk at Lake Nona with her parents, Carlos and Carolyn, and younger sister, Sofia. She is a freshman at Lake Nona High School with a 4.0 GPA. She is also a member of the girls golf team, enjoys reading, drawing, playing video games and building Lego sets. In addition to the experience and memories, Isabella’s participation in the weeklong legislative student program offers volunteer hours which she is applying towards eligibility for the Bright Futures Scholarship.
