October 21, 2025
Terranne Ford, center, of College of Southern Nevada High School, comments on a discussion during the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at Cimarron-Memorial High School Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus
By Ray Brewer (contact)
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 | 2 a.m.
The moment Yamilet Salas Chan’s name echoed through the gymnasium as a scholarship winner, the Del Sol Academy senior leapt from her seat in the bleachers, jumping for joy.
Within seconds, she was mobbed by celebrating classmates — part of a crowd of 700 students from more than 40 Clark County School District schools who gathered Friday for the 70th Sun Youth Forum at Cimarron-Memorial High School.
Community organizations and businesses partnered with the Sun to award 22 students a combined $24,000 in scholarships. Chan received $2,000 from the IAN Center for the Future of Learning, one of the event’s presenting sponsors. The Vegas Golden Knights were another presenting sponsor.
The scholarship recipients were selected at random.
Chan is poised to break new ground as the first in her family to attend college, with plans to enroll at Nevada State University or UNR next fall. She embraces her role as a trailblazer, setting an example for her younger siblings — ages 9, 7, and 6 — who look up to her academic achievements.
“I have a lot of siblings. They inspire me,” said Chan, who aspires to become a prenatal nurse. “I want to set a good example for them.”
The forum was launched in 1956 by Sun founder Hank Greenspun and his assistant Ruthe Deskin, bringing together high school students to share their perspectives on current events and their aspirations for the future. It gives young voices a platform to be heard by community leaders.
The community has for decades rallied around the event. The Clark County Elections Department was on site to take voting registration, and UNLV, Nevada State University and UNR also had booths.
In his “Where I Stand” column in 1956 Greenspun wrote “we have a duty to the teenagers of this community; a duty requiring that we furnish them with an opportunity to express themselves freely.”
He continued, “How do you describe something like the Sun Youth Forum? Can anyone put into words the intense emotional experience an adult feels while listening to alert, wholesome young people discussing their problems openly, frankly and with a sharp analytical intelligence?”
For a month leading up to the forum, Chan and her classmates often rehearsed potential questions together. Del Sol’s delegation included 28 students.
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, center, moderates a discussion during the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at Cimarron-Memorial High School Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus
The forum featured about 40 discussion rooms on topics such as law and crime, teen issues and “Home in Nevada.” Adult moderators included elected officials, UNLV professors and business leaders.
The program teaches young adults how to listen, discuss and respect the opinions of others in a civil and productive manner.
“You have to continue to have these conversations. … Keep thinking this way, keep respecting each other,” Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar told the group he moderated.
Chan said one of the highlights of the day was the courtesy the students showed for one another.
“Everyone had their turn talking. It was a respectful debate,” she said.
Student representatives selected by their peers from each discussion room will present their ideas to the community. The Sun has partnered with KUNV and UNLV-TV to feature students in news segments, while others will write columns for the Sun.
Those room representatives include: Elizabeth Strehl (Desert Oasis), Anabelle Grisafe (CSN High School), Taylor Colgate (Coronado), Isabella Lee (Coronado), Tyliyah Sinaene Silva (Green Valley), Sophia Manuel (Palo Verde) Angelina Vargas (Veterans Tribute), Kailey Garay (Arbor View High School), Nala Williams (Cimarron-Memorial High School), Hunter Denman (Northeast CTA), Olivia Ginakadja (Advanced Technologies Academy), Dawit Wondie (Clark), Regina Soto (Northwest CTA), and Paige Ackerman (Foothill).
Others include: Carmen Yoss (Veterans Tribute), Ava Wheaton (CSN High School), Harlow Cardenas (Cimarron-Memorial), Cautrice White-Hicks (CSN High School), Jynelle Buono (SWCTA), Christopher Romero (Spring Valley), Zena Harris (Las Vegas High), Johana Gamez (Durango), Kesani Barber (Las Vegas), Logan Price (Foothill), and Emily Sanchez (Green Valley).
More representatives are: Angelina Ruggeroli (Palo Verde), Garrett Woodward (Coronado), Embrie Iris McCraw (Foothill), Analeia Shields (Spring Valley), Gwen Elizabeth Lay (Advanced Technologies Academy) Melany Cormenaty-Martinez (Advanced Technologies Academy), Olivia York (Las Vegas High, Emmely Ramos (Northeast CTE) and Kenneth Aguilera (CSN High School).
The representatives and moderators will come together again Nov. 12 for “A seat at the table: Sun Youth Forum Honors,” a dinner celebrating the students’ accomplishments at the forum. More scholarship winners will be drawn then.
Ashley Gonzalez from Cheyenne High School received a scholarship from El Dorado Holdings and the Law Office of Jeff Burr for $2,000. IAN Center for the Future of Learning also gave $1,000 to Aiden Crane from Southwest CTA.
Other scholarship winners include: Aubriana Odgers (Coronado) and Kali Littlejohn (Liberty), who each received $1,000 from the Golden Knights.
The Silver State Schools Credit Union supported three students: Rosalia Hernández Bautista from East CTA, Leonidas Owen from Central Tech Academy, and Leslie Haro Rodriguez from Valley High School.
Port of Subs also awarded three $1,000 scholarships, going to Talitah Hendy (Green Valley), Isabella Corral (Canyon Springs High School) and Gia Bolanos (Spring Valley).
UNLV supported $1,000 scholarships to Amari Deadman-Ybarra (Cimarron-Memorial), Anthony Silva (Western) and Alejandra Morales Ambriz (Rancho).
UNR awarded $1,000 scholarships to Ynamariz Ocan from Green Valley High School and Kaya Holland from Sierra Vista High School.
Nevada State Treasury’s College Navigator program supported Analeia Shields from Spring Valley High School and Ava Wheaton from CSN High School with $1,000 scholarships.
SPTLGHT Entertainment funded a $1,000 scholarship to Mya Gutierrez from Las Vegas High School, while the Las Vegas Sun provided $1,000 scholarships to three students: Jayonna Armstrong (Cimarron-Memorial), Cianna Biondo (Veterans Tribute CTA) and Lily Russell (Foothill).
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