THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 28, 1994 TAG: 9407270130
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
AS A PAGE for the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., Maria-Sofia Paco walked miles every day.
And she loved every minute of it.
``I was mostly a runner, and I delivered envelopes and hundreds of packets from the floor to congressmen,'' said the rising senior at Lakeland High School. ``I was assigned different duties each week.
``And as a `flag page,' I also delivered American flags that had been flown over the Capitol building in honor of a person or school,'' she said. ``Then they were distributed to those who had requested them.''
Paco, 16, was a page from June 12 to July 9.
``I love helping others, and I really wanted to help my country,'' Paco said. ``You learn so much while you're working. I saw the floor in session, saw how the voting took place, and talked to the congressmen.''
After a friend told her last year about serving as a page, Paco called the Washington office of U.S. Rep. Norman Sisisky, who represents the Fourth District, and asked for an application for the program, which is under the jurisdiction of the Democratic Personnel Committee.
Then she wrote a 200-word essay on her life and why she wanted to serve as a Democratic page. She was one of 66 students chosen from among 400 applicants.
For a month, Paco lived in a dormitory on Capitol Hill and worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week.
The standard dress for a page is a blue blazer, white shirt and woolen skirt or slacks.
Curfew was 10 p.m., but weekends were free for sightseeing, shopping and attending church services and concerts.
Friendly and outgoing, Paco said she spoke to everyone she came in contact with on the job.
``One day, a congressman came up to me, shook my hand and asked me my name,'' she said with a grin. ``He introduced himself as Joe Kennedy. I never thought I would see famous people.
``We were assigned our runs and were constantly running from one place to another,'' Paco said. ``My feet were sore after the first day because we ran between buildings underground. But by the end of the first week, I knew where everything was.
``A friend said we walked over 30 miles a day, but I think that was an exaggeration,'' she said. ``By the end of the month, I could even direct tourists. Just when I had it down pat, it was time to leave.''
At Lakeland, Paco has been a member of the Chemistry Club, Chrome Club, Cultural Club, Ecology Club and Spanish Club.
She also has served as a member of the Diocesan Youth Council and is treasurer of the Catholic Youth Group at St. Mary's of the Presentation Catholic Church.
Paco assists with both the Children's Mass, which involves instruction and games, and Sunday Mass.
Once a month she volunteers at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.
Paco was born in Virginia Beach. When she and her older brother, Matt, were small, their family moved to Monrovia, Liberia, for a year.
Paco's father, Sofronio Paco, practiced medicine in that country. Her mother, Fe Mascarinas Paco, is a medical technologist.
``I have been influenced by a family of doctors,'' Paco said.
After graduation, she plans to attend Virginia Commonwealth University and major in either physical therapy or pharmacy, with a minor in the arts.
``I am interested in the visual arts,'' Paco said. ``I love painting, sketching and playing the piano.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Maria-Sofia Paco, a rising senior at Lakeland High, wrote a 200-word
essay to Rep. Norman Sisisky, a Democrat who represents the Fourth
District, to become a Congressional page.
by CNB