WOODLAND HILLS : Taft Student Chosen as U.S. House Page

Taft High School junior Yoeli Barag has been interested in politics for as long as he can remember, thanks to the frequent political discussions he says were part of growing up in his Woodland Hills home. But this fall the political discussions he witnesses will be taking place in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Yoeli will spend four months as a congressional page.

“We were always discussing important issues and I just slowly developed an interest in politics,” said Yoeli, 16. “This gives me a chance to broaden what I already know.”

Yoeli is one of 66 high school students chosen from around the country to be pages.

He will work carrying messages between legislators and staffers on the House floor.

He says he applied for the position after visiting his brother Dorian, who worked last spring as an intern for Rep. Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo).

“I was so excited to actually see what goes on in our government,” Yoeli said of his visit to his brother. “It was an exhilarating experience.”

He was so exhilarated, in fact, that he wrote to Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) about becoming a page. With the help of the congressman’s staff in Washington and California, Yoeli was chosen from hundreds of applicants.

“These are highly sought-after positions,” said Beilenson field deputy Kay Van Horn. “Yoeli is very well-rounded, bright, interested in the political process and very mature. The feeling was that he is someone who would gain a great deal from the experience.”

While in Washington, Yoeli hopes to meet President Clinton so he can invite the chief executive out for a jog or a round of golf.