Reuben D'Silva a high school history teacher at Rancho High School. He is an award winning public educator, and a decorated combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps
Reuben was born in Mumbai, India, and immigrated to the United States as a toddler with his family. He attended Rancho High School where he served as Senior Class President and Homecoming King graduating in 2003. He then attended the College of Southern Nevada (then Community College of Southern Nevada) and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He later transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Reuben was born in Mumbai, India, and immigrated to the United States as a toddler with his family. He attended Rancho High School where he served as Senior Class President and Homecoming King graduating in 2003. He then attended the College of Southern Nevada (then Community College of Southern Nevada) and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He later transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
While attending UNLV, Reuben was called to serve his country and deployed to Iraq. On the night of June 6th, 2007 while serving as a turret gunner in Fallujah, Reuben's convoy came under enemy fire. He was shot through the forearm, but still managed to return fire and suppress the enemy until his fellow Marines could escape the kill zone. He was awarded both the Purple Heart and Naval Achievement Medal for his heroics in the Iraq War. After being medevac’d from the combat zone Reuben spent the following year at Naval Medical Center San Diego (Balboa Hospital) recovering from his wounds.
After his rehabilitation and medical retirement from the Marine Corps, Reuben returned to Las Vegas and graduated from UNLV in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in History. He was not able to secure a teaching job with CCSD due to the hiring freezes enacted that year’s Great Recession state budget cuts. He opted to attend graduate school. He earned his first master’s degree in Global Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and earned a second master's degree in Comparative Religion and Politics at Yale University. At both institutions Reuben specialized his area of study into the role religion plays in international affairs and diplomatic processes.
After graduating from Yale University--and turning down several out-of-state high paying job opportunities--he returned to Las Vegas to teach history at his alma mater, Rancho High School, feeling it was the right thing to do and knowing that public school teaching is one of the most direct ways to give back and strengthen our community. At Rancho, Reuben coached varsity girls' basketball, advises several clubs, and promotes college, career, and civic readiness in his classroom. He also serves as an organizer for the Clark County Education Association, the largest teachers union in Nevada. He is one of Rancho's most beloved teachers, having a reputation for being a tough, yet compassionate educator. Reuben has positively impacted thousands of lives in North and East Las Vegas.
In 2013, Reuben was appointed by U.S. Senator Harry Reid as a member of Nevada’s Military Academy Selection Committee. That same year, he was appointed as a Trustee for the City of North Las Vegas Library District by City Councilman Isaac Barron.
Reuben was first elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. He considers representing and serving in the State Legislature the very neighborhoods he grew up in as one of the greatest honors of his life.
Reuben was first elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. He considers representing and serving in the State Legislature the very neighborhoods he grew up in as one of the greatest honors of his life.
Reuben serves on several boards and commissions in Las Vegas including the boards of local organizations who work on increasing Nevada graduation rates, resettle refugees, and support veterans and military families. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc, and the NAACP. He currently serves as the President of the South Asian Young Professionals Alliance. He is a practicing Roman Catholic and is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, Holy Apostles Council at St. James Church in Las Vegas’ Historic Westside.
