Northwest College’s pick for the Shaping Wyoming’s Future award wanted to leave Montana for college, so she chose a school close enough to Park City but still out of state. 

Now, it’s going to be quite hard to get Abigail Jeffrey out of her new home state. 

“I plan on staying here,” she said, adding, “You can’t get rid of me.”

Jeffrey was chosen for the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees’ scholarship award for her academics and the large amount of activities and work she does around campus. 

“Jeffrey is a familiar face across campus at Northwest while keeping a busy schedule in a variety of leadership roles,” Vice President of Student Services Tom Havron said in introducing her during Monday’s college board meeting. 

She serves on the NWC Student Senate as the Student Activities Board Chair, is the president of the school's Turning Point USA chapter and the treasurer of the trap, skeet and hunting club. Havron said she also participates in numerous student activities and admissions events throughout the year, assisting in the recruitment of future and Northwest College students.

Jeffrey came to Northwest College in 2024 after graduating from Absarokee High School, and she's scheduled to graduate from NWC this spring with an Associate of Science in preoccupational therapy. She plans to continue her education through the occupational therapy doctorate program, operated by the University of North Dakota and Casper.

She said receiving the award wouldn't have been possible without all of the services and activities available on campus, or the staff to help facilitate. 

“Obviously, I have a little bit of pride just because I'm glad that I got it. It's great. But none of it would have been possible without the people on campus who’ve also been involved,” she said. “Chris Dugger has been a phenomenal support for me, all of the housing office, ladies in admissions, everybody just does really great … for being as scared as I was to move out of state and come here, it's just been so phenomenal. And I think that this college is just really a place that students can come and grow. So I just thank you guys for that, because what you're doing is great.”

The award recognizes one student from each of the state’s community colleges for the ways they’ve transformed their lives through the Wyoming community colleges system, and how their efforts and participation in their communities are shaping the state’s future.

Jeffrey and the winners from the state’s other community colleges will be honored by the Wyoming Business Alliance in Cheyenne during the state legislative session. Each winner also receives a $500 scholarship. 

“There are certainly students that have a tendency to shine, and Abigail is one of them, just both with her outgoing and friendly nature, but she's approachable and visible, and I appreciate that, because it's people like you that help Northwest College be welcoming to our students,” President Lisa Watson said.