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Reno, NV.  In front of a near-capacity crowd of 25,000, Kate Camino was the subject of the UNR athletic department’s first Campus Spotlight of the year.  This was the second recognition of the award by the university who first highlighted the event on its website. Camino was presented between the 3rd and 4th quarters while a summary of the Bizi Emankorra award and her accomplishments were read.  She was also featured on the field's big screen for all to see.  Camino was received the Bizi Emankorra award at this year’s NABO convention that took place in her hometown of Buffalo Wyoming on July 22^nd.  The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the North American Basque Organizations and who have given extraordinary commitment to Basque culture in the US, beyond their own local Basque community. 

Camino became involved in NABO in 1991 as a delegate from her hometown Basque club in Buffalo, WY.  After moving to Reno, NV in 1997 Camino stayed involved and eventually became the Center for Basque Studies’s NABO delegate.  She was recognized for her service to both community clubs having served on the board of directors of both as well as dance director in both locations for nearly twenty years.  She has also served as Udaleku director in both communities, and was appointed NABO’s Udaleku Co-Chair two years ago.  Camino has written and received grants on both the club and NABO levels and has also represented NABO at the 1999 World Conference of Basque Collectivities hosted every five years by the Basque Government.  She was also chosen to participate in a special edition of Gaztemundu in 2002 especially for dance instructors in the diaspora. Kate was hired by the Center for Basque Studies in 1998 and is the Center’s office manager.  She has also taught elementary Basque at UNR since 2000.

When asked her reaction to being the youngest recipient of the award she said,  “I am a little embarrassed, actually, since there are so many more-seasoned individuals than me who are worthy of this award.  It is such an honor and really humbling.”  After being honored at the game she was again asked for her reaction, “It was one of those once in a lifetime moments really.  I am so touched by the University’s recognition and the support that I’ve received from my colleagues and friends at UNR.”