Thomas Rupp is a very down to earth teenager from Sabina. What’s not very down to earth is what he did this summer. While his peers played games and went to the Fair, Rupp was in Washington D.C., working as a page for Congressman Turner's office with almost unrestricted access to many of the Capitols halls and chambers.

Rupp was selected through a lengthy process by Congressional Leadership to serve as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives during the month of July. A page is a high school student who serves the House delivering legislative correspondence among the Congressional offices, collecting copies of speeches, and assisting with the flying of the flag over the Capitol.

Becoming a page is not an easy task, but Rupp was up for the challenge.

“It’s a competitive process. There was an essay to be written, and transcripts and letters of recommendation. Then I had to be nominated by Congressman Turner. My grades were the most important,” Rupp said.

From a pool of about 50 candidates, the field was narrowed to 15-20, and then the final nominee was selected.

During his stay in Washington, Rupp spent his nights in a dorm. Days were spent in the Capitol complex with courses at the Summer Page Academy added to supplement the experience. The Summer Page Academy offered elective lecture-based courses in a variety of relevant topics: Government, Leadership, and International Relations among others. High school credits and grades were earned.

The son of Mike and Kathy Rupp, Thomas is involved with the worship band and youth group at the Sabina Church of Christ. Rupp also has a younger brother.

As a senior at East Clinton High School Rupp is the Student Council President, National Honor Society President, Spanish Club President, a member of the Key Club, and on the Tennis Team and Academic Team. After graduating he is interested in attending University of Pennsylvania or Hillsdale College in Michigan to study business.

Rupp said that going through doors marked “Authorized Personnel Only” was a neat privilege extended to the pages, as was having unrestricted access to almost any room. Security was a high priority, and thorough background checks were performed on each of the pages prior to their acceptance into the program.

Also remarkable to the young page was that the House members are not “as corrupt as you might think.”

“What I saw was a lot of people who care about Americans,” Rupp said.

“This experience was really motivating,” Rupp said “It motivates you to either serve the people or serve yourself. I’d like to think that I’m ready to serve the people.”