Matlacha teen selected as page for U.S. House
Matlacha resident Shayna Talbott, 16, received word that she would spend the next semester of her junior year as a page at the U.S. House of Represen-tatives.
“Someone at school suggested I apply to intern as a page and I ended up being nominated for the position by Connie Mack.” said Talbott. “After that, I had to fill out some paper work and then we waited for a phone call to see if I had been selected.
“I don’t know who was more anxious about waiting, me or my dad because every day he kept asking me, ‘Did you hear anything yet?'” she continued. “When the phone call finally came in, my whole family was excited.”
Shayna is the daughter of Keith and Heidi Talbott, owners of Angles Hair Design in Matlacha.
Talbott will serve as a page in Washington, D.C., from Jan. 24 through June 3 while continuing her studies.
“I will be going to school early every day and after school will go to work,” said Talbott. “I am not sure what job they have planned for me, but I am looking forward to spending time at the capital and working there. I am especially looking forward to the extra-curricular activities they have planned for us. They involve things like seeing some of the monuments, going to the movies and skiing, but the thing I look forward to most is getting to visit the Naval Academy.”
During her high school career, Talbott has been active with the ROTC program at Ida Baker which provided her with the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., on one other occasion.
“Our ROTC group has a leadership team and one year we were involved in a competition,” Talbott said. “During the competition we spent a week in D.C. and ended up finishing in 10th place. It was a great experience. Also when, when we were in Washington, we got to go to the America at War exhibit at the Smithsonian and I look forward to seeing more of the museum.”
As a participant in ROTC, Talbott has been involved in a variety of activities which included marching in several parades, helping to build a Habitat for Humanity home and other community service projects.
“The mission of ROTC is to motivate young people to become better citizens and I have really enjoyed all of the things we have done,” Talbott said. “I would encourage all high school students to participate in ROTC. In fact, my sister is now in the ROTC as well.”
While in Washington, Talbott will share a dorm-style living space with other interns and the wages she earns will pay for her room and meals. Jobs as a page include answering phones, delivering messages to members of the House, printing and delivering vote reports, tending to the needs of members of the House while they are on the floor and ringing bells for votes.
In addition to her responsibilities, Talbott will be expected to maintain her GPA while attending classes. Currently she is a straight A student at Ida Baker High School.