Boys & Girls Clubs name Utah Youth of Year
The 18-year-old is Utah's State Youth of the Year for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake, a selection that has so far garnered him $3,000 in college scholarships.
Earlier this spring, he became the first one in his family to graduate from high school, and he now is taking nine hours of college credit at the University of Utah in preparation for studies at Weber State University this fall that he hopes culminate in a degree in criminal justice. He's also starting an internship as a translator at a local hospital.
And this morning, he's heading to California. Disneyland is part of the trip, but mainly he's going to vie for national youth of the year honors to be awarded Thursday to just five youths representing the five U.S. geographic regions served by Boys & Girls Clubs. He will go up against winners from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.
Should he win, his summer plans will have to make room for a trip to Washington, D.C., where a fuss will be made over the group by President George W. Bush and Congress.
Late Monday afternoon, Gomez wasn't thinking about winning or of the lofty or long-term. Cramming a suitcase and shoring up class work well enough to withstand a three-day absence was foremost on his mind. Get done today so you can get through tomorrow is his mode of operation. That didn't include taking time to sit down for an interview with a newspaper, but he did it anyway.
His two older brothers responded by finding a home away from home with gangs. That resulted in one being seriously hurt and both going to jail and one being deported. His parents divorced, and his father faded from the picture completely, leaving Gomez as man of the house for his two younger sisters and his mother.
The situation turned Gomez' compass toward responsibility. He took a job to help his mother make ends meet. He also filled in the gaps in household duties when his mother's shift work went long or kept her away many mornings and evenings. The family also lost their home because the household received no financial support from the father and they have been forced to move several times.
He would get his sisters ready for school, help with homework, prepare meals and pretty much keep the household seams from coming completely apart, according to accounts from club staff members. Rising to meet the struggles has matured him well beyond his age but his smile and cheerful-in-all-weathers outlook are deeper in him because of the experience, documents submitted to the udging committee state.
Recent comments
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake is doing a great job...
Impressed | July 8, 2008 at 9:46 a.m.
