(Long Island, NY) The Suffolk County Legislature’s inaugural summer Page Program concluded Aug. 7 with a graduation ceremony held in the Rose Y. Caracappa Auditorium of the W.H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge. Fifteen high school and college students completed the internship program.
“I am honored to congratulate these outstanding young people as they graduate from our Page Program,” said Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory. “These students prove that millennials are anything but disengaged from public life. I’m impressed by both their enthusiasm and professionalism, and I thank my fellow legislators for giving our Pages a substantive experience this summer.”
Fifteen high school and college students recently graduated from the Suffolk County Legislature’s summer Page Program. Seated, from left, are: Kristen Lomando of Sayville, Presiding Officer Morgan Shaffer of West Islip, Deputy Presiding Officer Andrea DeAngelis of Medford and Sarah Whitworth of Rocky Point. Standing, from left, are: Joseph Basile III of East Setauket, Zack Goldstein of Melville, Scott Cassidy of East Setauket, Alison Baker of Huntington, Stefany Henriquez of Brentwood, Casey O’Neill of Amityville, Latrice Tribble of Copiague, Dana Sherman of Dix Hills, Kristin Peragine of Baiting Hollow and Timothy Botros of Dix Hills. Not pictured is Brian Monahan of Smithtown, who also completed the program. Photo Credit: Steve Gravano.
During the two-month program, Pages drafted and debated mock legislation, staged mock press conferences and attended workshops on topics ranging from time management to cultural intelligence. Additionally, they broke into caucuses and elected a Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer. Pages were also assigned to legislative offices throughout the county, where they assisted staff with day-to-day operations, including constituent service.
“I’ve loved every minute of the program and every person I’ve met along the way,” said Kristin Peragine of Baiting Hollow, who was assigned to the office of Clerk of the Legislature Tim Laube. “I never felt defeated or as though I couldn’t understand what was going on during a meeting. There was always a resource for me to rely on to help me further understand what was happening on a day-to-day basis at the Legislature.”
While the Suffolk County Legislature will continue to welcome interns this fall, the Page Program will only be offered in the summer. For more information on interning for the Legislature, call Presiding Officer Gregory’s office at 631-853-4088.
