This award recognizes a student who has distinguished themselves in in northern Nevada through their inspiration, dedication, motivation, or acts of kindness regardless of grade or age. Eligible nominees must be located in PBS Reno’s northern Nevada and northeastern California viewing areas.
 

Award Category sponsored by

Passionate about dogs from a young age, Hailey became involved in the Nevada Humane Society's Dog Date Program at the age of 11. She decided that after each date, she would write a paragraph detailing what she learned about the dog, their likes and dislikes, mannerisms, etc. By sending this information to the Humane Society and posting on social media the pictures of the Dog Date, she helps these dogs find their forever homes. Hailey turned her love for NHS's Dog Date Program into an official Passion Project that she presented at her school in May 2025, earning top 25. As a straight-A student and accomplished softball player, her passion for helping these dogs get adopted with the Nevada Humane Society is truly inspiring. 

Ameerah Mapp is an honors graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno with degrees in Sociology and Business Administration, concentrating in Management and Marketing. Ameerah completed six internships centered on marketing, nonprofit outreach, and community engagement, including serving as VP of Community Relations for UNR’s AMA chapter. She also founded MarkYourMunchies, a nonprofit where she prepares and distributes meals to Reno’s homeless population. She is currently developing RIBB—Reno Includes Black Businesses—to uplift and promote Black-owned businesses in our community. Pursuing a master’s degree is her next chapter with opportunities like this inspire me to keep growing.

The VC Silver Circuits is an award-winning robotics team that uses the skills they've learned while building robots to make a positive impact in their community and beyond. They engineered a hot air balloon wheelchair costume to spread joy to a local teen, designed a CANstruction structure to fight hunger with the Northern Nevada Food Bank, and taught STEM to underprivileged youth in Africa. The team also mentors other young students, helping to spark curiosity and confidence in the next generation of innovators. Through creativity, compassion, and hands-on learning, they show how STEM can change lives.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Contact: Sam Eigenman, Community Partnership Director
O: 775-600-0561 | C: 775-544-8431 | seigenman@pbsreno.org

Our previous Spotlight Awards and Auction honorees and events:

2024 Winners and Finalists | 2023 Winners and Finalists | 2022 Winners and Finalists | 2021 Winners and Finalists | 2020 Winners and Finalists