William “Will” Abbott is the director of development for Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada
Q: What are you reading?
A: “Nomad Capitalist,” by Andrew Zimmer. It’s an interesting take and great book on educating yourself on how to travel and how you can invest and live in other countries.
Q: What is your favorite restaurant?
A: JamonJamonTapas.com (6135 W Sahara Ave., Ste 2. It’s the best kept secret in Las Vegas. The restaurant is a little off the Strip, but as soon as you walk in, you feel teleported to Spain. It’s owned by a fun and witty Spaniard who will personally text to set reservations. All wonderfully made traditional Spanish food is served, including scratch seafood paella, classic ham tapas, and everything you’d expect if you’ve ever made the trip to Spain. It’s as authentic as you get.
Q: Where do you work out or play your favorite sport?
A: Legend Mixed Martial Arts (7501 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Ste.
Q: How do you decompress after a hard week?
A: I recently restarted training in MMA, Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu jitsu. I love being in the gym, especially when sparring. It forces you to focus on only the person in front of you, who’s trying to hit you. I’ve gone into a round, while still thinking about the last email or meeting I had that day — and boom! When you get hit with a kick to the head, it wakes you up and forces you to be in the present. It’s actually quite meditative. I love the strategy and thought that goes into martial arts, especially at the higher levels. It’s truly like playing a physical game of chess, setting a trap for your opponents, or waiting for them to move or shift their weight in the right direction.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing Southern Nevada?
A: Education. I truly believe many of our problems — inflation, crime, economy, homelessness — can be solved if we start at the source: lack of education. To take it further, I believe that financial education and financial literacy are huge gaps in our education system. I’m at a loss as to why we don’t teach our kids about money. In school, even students who are able to solve complex quadratic equations are not able to balance a budget or don’t have any concept of debt or credit. We need more programs like Junior Achievement that intentionally teaches financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness. Seeing students learn that they are in control of their own future by teaching them that they can achieve more or create their own business is inspiring. Sadly, Nevada ranks as one of the worst states in education in most metrics. Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada is aiming to change that and fill the important financial education gap. I encourage anyone who wants to be part of the solution to join us and help us reach more students.
