Nelly Cheboi, who left a lucrative job as a software engineer in Chicago in 2019 to create a computer lab for Kenyan students, is CNN's 2022 hero.

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Online voters selected him as one of ten winners for this year's CNN Top 10 Heroes. 

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As CNN Hero of the Year, Cheboi will receive $100,000 to expand his career. CNN Hero is opening up a new world for young Kenyans through the use of old computers.

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She and 10 other CNN Top Heroes honored at Sunday's gala all receive a $10,000 prize. 

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Nelly will also be named the winner of the Elevate Award, which comes with a $300,000 grant and additional support of up to $200,000 for non-profit organizations. 

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CNN's Anderson Cooper and ABC's Kelly Ripa hosted the 16th annual event "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," which featured more than a dozen of the show's greatest stars. 

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"We are so honored to be here," said actress and singer Sofia Carson, who performed with award-winning songwriter Diane Warren at the event. 

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"Actress Aubrey Plaza introduced CNN's first hero, Aidan Reilly, who started a non-profit while attending college during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.The nonprofit connects food from farms across the United States 

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Actor Adam Scott recalled that children dressed in costumes broadcast on television the famous speech honoring Teresa Gray, nurse and doctor of the non-profit organization Mobile Medics International health linked to natural disasters and refugees around the world .

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Debra Vines - Answers Inc. supporting families affected by autism in underserved communities in Chicago - is honored by actress Holly Robinson Peete as "fellow autism mom". 

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Emmy-winning actor Justin Theroux brought his rescue dog Kuma on stage to honor Carie Broecker and her nonprofit, Peace of Mind Dog Rescue. 

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Two teenagers  who are making a difference in their communities are also being honored as 2022 Young Wonders: 

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Ruby Chitsey, a 15-year-old from Harrison, Arkansas, started “Three Quests for Ruby's Residents,” which provides assistance to nursing home residents who cannot afford to pay their bills.

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Sri Nihal Tammana, a 13-year-old from Edison, New Jersey, started "Recycle My Battery," which keeps used batteries out of the environment through a network of collection points. 

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The show also honored two Georgia election workers, Shaye Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, whose lives were turned upside down after false allegations of involvement in voter fraud circulated on social media.

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