Not many people can say they've brushed shoulders with Supreme Court justices and the vice president of the United States, but at just 17 years old, Baylor High School student Chloe Smith can.
Last spring, Smith had the opportunity to put her passion for politics to work by serving as a U.S. Senate page. She was one of just 30 teens selected from across the country for the competitive six-month program.
Originally from Abingdon, Va., Smith was inspired to apply for the program after completing a Virginia State page program in her eighth-grade year.
"That's where I really got my interest in politics," she said. "I made it a goal ever since to apply."
Smith recalled sobbing with excitement when she heard that she had been accepted after months of being in stuck in the application process.
"I remember this really proud feeling of being able to accomplish something so unique and niche to my interests," she said.
While living in Washington, D.C., Smith woke up every day around 5 a.m., took classes in the morning and then worked from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. if she was on the "early shift" or until the Senate adjourned when working the "late shift," which could be into the early hours of the morning. She estimates she worked 50- to 60-hour weeks, in addition to her schoolwork.
"The most challenging part was balancing being a full-time student and a full-time employee," Smith said.
She credits the experience with teaching her important time management skills and said the longest nights were sometimes the most interesting.
"I had the opportunity to enter D.C. at a very unique time in American history," said Smith, who arrived in Washington a week after President Donald Trump's inauguration.
One of her favorite memories was being part of the process of the Senate's approval of the president's cabinet and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Smith had the opportunity to meet Gorsuch, who was a U.S. Senate page himself in the 1980s.
"That was very, very special because you could just see the genuine excitement in his face," Smith said.
Along with Gorsuch, she said the most interesting people she met were Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who despite party differences was always genuine and friendly to the pages.
The experience allowed Smith to see "the good, the bad and the ugly" of U.S. politics, but that hasn't dissuaded her interest. In the fall, Smith will attend Colgate University in Madison County, N.Y., where she plans to major in international relations.
Smith said she is eager to learn more about the foreign affairs side of politics and said her dream job would be to work at the United Nations or the U.S. State Department.