Western Nevada College News
WNC’s Regents’ Scholar Award Recipient Excels in Classroom, Community and More
Mar 6, 2025
Regents' Scholar Award winner Dru MacKay is dual-enrollment student at WNC and Churchill County High School.
The importance of family, education and helping others has been instilled in Dru MacKay since an early age, shaping him into the person he is today as a Western Nevada College dual-enrollment student.
As a Churchill County High School senior, Dru has challenged himself by taking college courses through WNC’s Jump Start program. He has met this academic challenge by making the Dean’s List and the Fallon Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents honored Dru and other Nevada standout college students as recipients of the Sam Lieberman Regents’ Scholar Award during its quarterly meeting on Thursday.
“I am incredibly honored to have won this award,” Dru said. “Being from a small rural town, few opportunities come with recognition. Upon finding that my professor had nominated me for this, I was beyond grateful, as this affirmed that my work and contributions do not go unnoticed.”
WNC President Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe attended the Board of Regents quarterly meeting, applauding the recognition of the college’s hardworking and dedicated Jump Start student.
"We are proud of all of our Jump Start students, but to have one receive the Sam Lieberman Regents' Scholar Award is fabulous,” President Dalpe said. “Wherever Dru goes next, he will do great things and we will always count him as a member of our Wildcat family!"
Dru credited WNC English Professor Jessica Rowe for helping him flourish academically. Rowe has seen Dru develop into a model student and community member.
“It has been my pleasure to work with Dru in my English 101 and English 102 courses, and I have been consistently impressed by his dedication, leadership, and outstanding academic achievements,” Rowe said. “He demonstrates the core of the characteristics that NSHE’s scholarship program sets out to honor and is a credit to his college and his community.”
The importance and power of education resonated with Dru as he moved into his junior year at Churchill County High School, realizing how Jump Start could positively impact his future.
“This opportunity allowed me to accelerate my growth as a student and alleviate some of the financial burden that is tied to college,” he said. “The program also taught me the significance of academics and how it could improve my life. My mother, being the primary provider for my family as a teacher, I knew I wanted a better life for her and to set an example for my three sisters. I believe my path to achieving this is through my education.”
Dru’s academic excellence, however, is only part of why he is being recognized as the Regents’ Scholar Award recipient.
Dru also has a sense of community beyond his years, surrendering personal time to help others. Among his good deeds are serving food to the homeless at the Daily Bread meal center and spreading sandbags to help residents who were preparing for possible flooding.
Helping others succeed academically also is a high priority for Dru. As a WNC academic coach he mentors other students and encourages their success.
“Becoming an academic coach has been one of my most fulfilling acts,” Dru said. “During my first year at WNC, I was worried and stressed about the challenges of college. I heard from my friends that the library was a great place to study as they had coaches on site in case you needed anything. After meeting the academic coaches and how they aided me, I knew I could do the same and pass the same lessons and encouragement to future students. Seeing the success and growth of so many students as they overcome finals week has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college education.”
As he nears his simultaneous graduation from WNC and Churchill County High School, Dru is focused on continuing his education. He plans to attend the University of Nevada, Reno, to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in psychology.
“After completing my bachelor's degree in two years at the university level, I aim to go into law school to finish my goal of becoming a lawyer serving Northern Nevada,” said Dru, adding that he wants to intern with a law firm and join UNR’s pre-law club.
The Regent Scholar’s interest in law sparked from a project in his WNC art class.
“Growing up, I was always uncertain regarding my future career. I struggled with this largely until my classes at Western Nevada College,” he said. “During one of my unexpected art projects, where we had to debate about artists, I found that I had a passion for debating and debunking others.”
Dru’s passion for law heightened by taking a criminal justice course instructed by Gregory Sly.
“We would judge cases and explore the entirety of the criminal justice system. Sly's stories in the field resonated with me and encouraged my ambitions of becoming a lawyer,” he said. “The court's sector of the system allows me to make a change in people's lives and advocate for those in a position where they feel powerless.”
WNC’s Jump Start College serves a number of local high schools, providing students with the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credits and an Associate degree. Learn more about the program at wnc.edu/advising/high-school-programs/jump-start. Parents interested in enrolling their children in the college can go to .
For more information, phone WNC Academic Advising and Access at 775-445-3267.