Auto Program Grad Surprised With F1 Extraordinary Local Recognition

Shianne Fontanilla walked into Grand Prix Plaza on Women in Automotive Day expecting a nice afternoon. She walked out an Extraordinary Local.

The CSN Auto Program graduate was the guest of honor at a surprise celebration June 30, when the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix named her an Extraordinary Local, a recognition reserved for people making a real difference in the Las Vegas community. The prize package included tickets to November’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, and Fontanilla’s reaction said it all: total shock, followed by a huge smile.

Fontanilla has spent her time in the CSN Auto Program building real skills in a field that still doesn’t see enough women, and her dedication caught the attention of more than just her professors. It caught the attention of one of the biggest events on the Las Vegas calendar.

The celebration brought out friends, family and CSN faculty to cheer her on, along with a familiar face who was clearly having the best day of his life: Cody the Coyote. CSN’s mascot soaked in every second of the F1 spotlight, working the crowd and hamming it up for photos like he’d been training for it. Turns out even a coyote can get starstruck.

The surprise was made possible through a partnership between the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix and R&R Partners, the Las Vegas based agency that helps coordinate the race’s community engagement efforts, including the Extraordinary Locals program. Snap-on Tools also played a role in recognizing Fontanilla’s achievements in the automotive field, adding another layer to a day that was already stacked with good news.

For a program built on turning wrenches and solving problems, the recognition landed as more than just a nice moment. It’s proof that the work students put in at CSN gets noticed, sometimes in the biggest ways possible.

Congratulations to Shianne Fontanilla, an Extraordinary Local and an even more extraordinary CSN Coyote.