Amber competed on a local soccer team before graduating in 2019 with advanced honors from East Career and Technical Academy, where she played on the varsity volleyball team. She went on to study criminal justice at Nevada State University, maintaining a 3.5 GPA while working full-time, including a job as a lifeguard at a Las Vegas resort. Her objective was to become a police officer, driven by her desire to make a positive impact in the community.

While still a student, she suffered a gunshot wound to the neck while attending a party in October 2021, causing a burst fracture at C7 and resulting in quadriplegia. Like many of her fellow recipients, she rehabbed at Craig Hospital and her therapist there championed her exceptional resilience and positive attitude, courage and determination. She is gradually gaining autonomy, working towards transitioning from a power to manual wheelchair and has added driving as a goal that is essential to her independence. The injury caused a shift in her academic focus, and she’ll be studying business administration at UNLV. She hopes to gain entrepreneurial skills to establish a company specializing in the sale of affordable adaptive tools and equipment.    

‍