ROCK SPRINGS — Western Wyoming Community College student Presley Frink received Congressional Award Gold Medal from Congress. 

The achievement is one of the highest honors available to young people and includes a $1,000 scholarship. Frink was recognized during the Wyoming State Medal Ceremony at the Cheyenne Civic Center, where 50 students from across the state were honored for their commitment to service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration.

The Congressional Award is a voluntary, non-competitive program open to individuals ages 13 and a half to 23. Earning the Gold Medal, the program’s highest distinction, requires significant dedication over time, with participants completing hundreds of hours of service and development work while pushing themselves beyond their comfort zones.

“In order to earn the Gold Medal of the Congressional Award, I completed four hundred hours of voluntary public service, 200 hours of physical fitness, two hundred hours of personal development, and planned and executed a five-day, four-night expedition involving six to eight hours each day of exploration in a new place,” Frink said.

At Western, Frink pursued an Associate of Science in Health Science after graduating from Rock Springs High School in 2024, where she also participated in dual enrollment and earned 27 college credits. She graduated from Western in 2025, after earning a spot on the honor roll each semester and is currently continuing her education as a certified nursing assistant through the college. 

“Presley’s achievement reflects a remarkable level of commitment, discipline, and service,” President Kirk Young, said. “Earning the Congressional Award Gold Medal is no small accomplishment, and we are proud to see her representing Western with such purpose and determination.”

For Frink, the experience was both rewarding and demanding. 

“I have learned so much about myself and my community,” Frink said. “I am now more aware of the needs in my community and how I can help. I have grown in so many ways; I am more physically fit, have learned how to push myself to try new things, and learned that setbacks are okay, as long as you get back up and try again. I am a more well-rounded person and know that I am capable of so many things. This has been such a wonderful journey, and I am grateful for the experience.”