Women Who Shine: And the Winner Is.

When Shine introduced the Women Who Shine contest, we knew we'd hear about incredible women doing amazing things in their communities. More than 1,400 people were nominated as Women Who Shine. We encourage you to read about these phenomenal nominees. And we thank you for taking the time to nominate those special women in your life who have made such an impact in your world.

You, Shine readers, voted. We are beyond excited to introduce the Grand Prize winner, Mariah Vitoria, who was nominated in the category of Public Service.

How does Mariah shine?


According to her nominator, Mariah has logged more than 650 hours of volunteering for a variety of activities, including blood drives, school and church fundraisers, and a a children's camp. She also has spent the past two years helping to secure more than $20,000 in donations for local schools to help fund campus improvements and student activities. Says her nominator:

"I call her [Mariah] superwoman, because she takes everyday and works hard to get many things accomplished. She takes pride in what she does because she truly has a passion for helping other people and making sure that by the end of the time she has with them, that they have a smile on their face! What's so great about what she does is that she encourages so many people to make a difference in their communities. She wants to see others strive for greatness and success. At the end of the day, she's just a great person, living her life in such a remarkable way, wanting to make the world a better place."

Congratulations, Mariah!

We'll be profiling Mariah on Shine tomorrow, so you'll be able to read more about this inspiring young woman.

We are also in the process of letting our other Women Who Shine category winners know their good news, so please check back on Monday, November 19 for the full list of Women Who Shine winners.