Congrats to CSN’s Regents’ Award Winners
Good news from last week’s Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents meeting: three members of the CSN community received Regents’ Awards, one of the highest honors the NSHE bestows on students, faculty and staff across the state.
Here’s a look at who’s representing the Coyotes.
Joseph Warren Ogden | Nevada Regents’ Scholar Award
Joseph Ogden’s path to CSN is not a straight one, and that’s what makes it worth telling.
An international student from England, Ogden was studying politics at Newcastle University when he was struck by a drunk driver, suffering three spinal fractures that left him unable to walk for two years. He spent nearly a decade on disability benefits before a trip to Las Vegas changed everything. He met his future wife, Alinne, a fellow CSN student, and decided to build a life here.
Since enrolling at CSN, Ogden has been all in. He reestablished the International Student Organization as president, serves as secretary of Student Government, founded the Economics Club and holds the vice president of service role for Phi Theta Kappa, through which he organized volunteer opportunities for more than 100 CSN students.
Oh, and two weeks before his final exams last fall, his daughter was born. He earned straight A’s.
Ogden was recognized as CSN’s Outstanding Student of the Year in the Social Sciences Department and carries a perfect GPA. His nomination for the Regents’ Scholar Award is well earned.
Angela Spires | Nevada Regents’ Teaching Award
Professor Angela Spires has been teaching for the Nevada System of Higher Education for more than 15 years, and she still loves it, particularly the composition courses where she got her start.
Spires holds three master’s degrees, including an MFA in Creative Writing, and brings that range into everything she does in the classroom. She uses open educational resource textbooks so students start the semester with materials in hand, no extra cost, no excuses. Her community work extends beyond CSN’s campuses too, from youth writing programs to work with homeless shelters and the prison system in Las Vegas.
Her nomination for the Regents’ Teaching Award reflects what her students already know: she shows up for them.
Denesha Moore | Nevada Regents’ Academic Advisor Award
Denesha Moore is a CSN alumna who came back to give students the kind of support she once needed herself.
After working as an academic advisor and ESL instructor in Maryland, Moore returned to Las Vegas in 2017 and joined CSN’s advising team in 2018. She has been a steady presence for students navigating everything from course selection to finding their footing. Outside CSN, she founded the Sixteen Candles Mentorship Program, which teaches etiquette and cultural experiences to underprivileged girls.
Her nomination for the Regents’ Academic Advisor Award recognizes the kind of work that often happens quietly — one student, one conversation at a time.
Proud of these three. Go Coyotes.