By Michael Van Cassell
Local teen Alan Joseph Camarillo is on the right track to launch
a bid for the U.S. presidency in 2028.
Local teen Alan Joseph Camarillo is on the right track to launch a bid for the U.S. presidency in 2028.
And during Easter break, the 13-year-old got a lot closer to the Oval Office than he ever expected. Camarillo may have become the first boy from Hollister to hug a president when he embraced President Bush.
“That one almost got me in trouble,” said AJ’s father, Ernie Camarillo, who works as an Amtrak engineer with railroad unionists.
The Camarillos met Ruben Barrales, deputy assistant to the president, at a family friend’s house during the 2005 Christmas holiday. After speaking to the younger Camarillo, Barrales was so impressed he invited the family out to Washington. The Camarillos spent a week touring the White House and when the time came, the Barrales connection paid off.
Getting in close with the leader of the free world proved to be an amazing experience.
“It was pretty awesome,” Camarillo said. “I didn’t know I was actually going to get to do it.”
Although young, Camarillo has already compiled a long list of accomplishments. He has won numerous awards in 4-H and essay contests at his former school, West Pacific Christian Academy in Gilroy. He has maintained a high grade point average through seventh grade and has completed every level of scouts, sitting a mere three merit badges away from his Eagle Scout classification. Camarillo plans to earn his Eagle Scout at the earliest allowable age: 14.
Next summer, Camarillo has even bigger plans. He will attend the 21st World Scout Jamboree, held in Hylands Park near Chelmsford, England, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts. As the sole representative of Boy Scout Troop 400 and the Monterey Bay Council, Camarillo needs to raise $4,500 to pay for the trip.
Camarillo needs to raise the money by March 1, 2007. He will use pancake breakfasts and rely on outright donations from the community. The cost of the trip alone is $3,900, but an additional $600 is needed for extra uniforms to trade with other Boy Scouts from around the world.
A devout Catholic, Camarillo will skip his last year at PWCA and enroll at Spring Grove Elementary School to ease the transition to San Benito High School. After that, Camarillo plans to attend West Point Academy – not for the military experience, but for the leadership and discipline it will provide.
Some see those very traits developing in Camarillo already.
“I see leadership qualities emerging,” said Donna Garcia, principal of PWCA. “He has potential.”
While extremely driven, Camarillo also knows how to take it easy. He looks natural riffing away on his amber sunburst colored vintage ESP EC 1000 guitar. Although Camarillo prefers modern rock, his father’s influence is clear when he speaks of his favorite guitarist – Jimmy Page.
“I heard the solo on (‘Stairway to Heaven’) and I was sold,” Camarillo said.
Camarillo enjoys entertaining friends with his guitar and even got on stage at this year’s California Bluegrass Association Music Camp in Grass Valley, Calif. He started playing when he was 7, plays at least twice a day and takes lessons from Johnny Garcia, who used to play with John Lee Hooker.
Swimming, running and bicycling make up a triathlon of athletic interests for Camarillo. He will participate in cross country and track at San Benito. Next summer, Camarillo will be on the life guard staff at Camp Pico Blanco in the Los Padres National Forest.
Although Camarillo is the first boy from Hollister to hug a president, he will not know if he will be the first man from Hollister to be president until 2028, when he turns 35 and is eligible to run.
“I’m excited because he’s very motivated,” Margaret Camarillo said of her son’s ambitions. “He’s not afraid to do anything.”
