GILROY
– Soon Lauren Bevilacqua, 16, of Gilroy, will set her summer
homework aside and board a plane for Washington, D.C., to attend
the National Young Leaders Conference Monday through July 17.
GILROY – Soon Lauren Bevilacqua, 16, of Gilroy, will set her summer homework aside and board a plane for Washington, D.C., to attend the National Young Leaders Conference Monday through July 17.
The conference is a leadership development program for high school students who have demonstrated leadership potential and scholastic merit. She will be among 400 scholars to attend.
Bevilacqua, who attends Archbishop Mitty High School, decided to register after receiving an invitation to the conference.
While excited to explore Washington, D.C., for the first time and meet the other participants, she doesn’t know exactly what to expect.
“I’m nervous about the people. I know (the program) is for those who are leaders and who do well academically. I’m scared about having to participate.”
In coordination with this year’s theme, “The Leaders of Tomorrow Meeting the Leaders of Today,” students will interact with senators and a representative or appointed member of their staff to discuss important issues facing the nation. They will also participate in a panel discussion with journalists at the National Press Club.
The conference is sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization committed to inspiring young people to achieve their full leadership potential. The council encourage students to learn about how their districts’ representatives and senators view various current issues in order to prepare for the conference. Bevilacqua has also been reviewing lessons on the branches of government on her own.
Bevilacqua hopes to gain “a better view on government and how it works and get a broader view of global issues.”
She lives in Gilroy with her parents, Don and Christine and her sister Kathryne, 18.
