LV teen seeks funds for conference

Debra D. Bass

Monday, May 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Coping with his father's death, his mother's remarriage and high school peer pressure, Antonio Reyes says he really didn't care about school.

It showed.

His mother, Nancy Gardner, grimaces as she remembers the F's and D's that dominated his report cards.

But in the past two years, after switching schools and talking with counselors, Reyes is now an honor-roll student and seems destined to attend college with the help of an academic scholarship.

His academic merit and the fact that he is considered a role model for others students have earned him the title of National Scholar, which accompanies an invitation to the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington.

But there's a hitch.

"We just haven't saved enough for him to go to college to spend the money on this conference," Gardner says. "This would almost wipe out what we've saved."

Tuition for the 11-day event, including housing, meals, program materials and transportation, totals $1,485. It is due by May 14.

The 16-year-old junior at Faith Lutheran High School has been busy writing letters to business and community leaders to attract sponsors, but his efforts thus far have been in vain.

"I'm really interested in going because I want to study political science one day," said Reyes, who works part time at the Clark County Library.

Each day of the conference exposes the students to a different aspect of government.

Among activities listed on a tentative schedule: visits to foreign embassies, presidential group meetings at Capitol Hill, insights on Washington internships from the assistant secretary of the Senate, a briefing on U.S. foreign policy from the director of foreign service, a meeting with key members of the Washington press corps, tours of the Smithsonian museums and Arlington National Cemetery and university admissions seminars from five institutions in Washington.

"It was a total surprise when I got the letter saying I had been nominated by my school and that I was being invited," Reyes said.

His mom says it is a shame he's done so much to turn his life around and now he can't reap the rewards because they lack the money.

Reyes will graduate from Leadership Las Vegas, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. He said it has taught him how a community is supposed to work together and how to do his part. Upon graduating from the program, he'll be offered a year's scholarship to UNLV or Community College of Southern Nevada.

If he can't go, Reyes says he'll just use the time to devote to his favorite hobby: researching Puerto Rican culture -- from its music to its landscape. His father, who died when Reyes was 11, was Puerto Rican and taught Reyes about the culture. Now, Reyes shares what he learns with his mom.

"Over the past few years, I've learned a lot about my culture and my civic responsibilities," Reyes said, adding that he'll never stop seeking opportunities to learn more, even if it means teaching himself.

Anyone interested in helping Reyes attend the event can contact his mother at 656-9011.