Thompson Scholarship Programs
2025-26
Year-in-Review
1,283 Thompson Scholars
Connect. Engage. Serve.
Thompson Scholarship Programs
Thompson Scholars receive more than a financial benefit from the scholarship. Our program staff offers holistic support from the time students enter our program through graduation. We help them find opportunities to connect, engage and serve – experiences that enable them to grow and make the most of their BGSU experience. Our staff collaborates with internal and external partners to coordinate events and service opportunities every semester.
Thompson Summer Link and orientation
Our Summer Link program is thoughtfully designed to support our incoming first-year Scholars as they transition to BGSU and begin their college journey. In 2025, Summer Link provided an exciting and welcoming introduction to the scholarship community with 167 of our 240 first-year Scholars participating. Students arrived on campus the week before classes started, moving into their residence halls and taking part in a dynamic four-day experience with opportunities to connect, engage and serve with other new Scholars, our Summer Link leaders and our staff. Scholars built meaningful connections, learned about scholarship requirements and expectations, engaged in interactive sessions focused on their growth and success, competed in the Thompson Olympics and got a jump start on their service hours.
One-Day orientation
For the 73 incoming Scholars who were unable to attend Summer Link due to Marching Band or other conflicts, our One-Day Orientation offered a condensed opportunity to complete their scholarship onboarding and begin building connections within the program.
Thank you to our nine wonderful Scholars who served as One-Day leaders: Abby Christen, Hannah Greely, Dominick Hall, Madalyne Hunt, Kendall Kleinschmidt, Vincent Lanzerotti, Laurel Sloan, Olivia Vallandingham and Jakob Willer.
Thompson Student Leadership Team
The Thompson Student Leadership Team (SLT) continued to bring the values of Connect, Engage and Serve to life throughout the 2025-26 academic year. A total of 52 Scholars served on the team, contributing 2,087 hours of service and averaging 41.74 service hours per member, higher than the Thompson Scholar average. Through their leadership and commitment, SLT created opportunities for Scholars to build community, develop professionally, prioritize well-being and make a positive impact on campus and beyond.
Across six committees – Alumni Relations, Communications, Connections, Scholar Success, Service Initiatives and the newly established Well-Being Committee – SLT members planned programs and initiatives that reached 1,437 attendees, including 575 unique students. The Well-Being Committee was piloted during the 2025-26 academic year in response to growing student interest in wellness-focused programming and will continue into the coming year. SLT also hosted its first-ever SLT Fair, piloted monthly professional development opportunities for members, and held fall and spring leadership retreats.
In addition to programming, the team strengthened the organization through an updated constitution, a streamlined co-chair interview process, continued use of QR-code attendance tracking and a new communications structure that will transition responsibilities from a committee model to a student intern role beginning in 2026-27. Through their dedication, innovation and service, SLT members continued to foster a welcoming and engaged Thompson Scholar community.
Thank you to all SLT members, but especially to our executive board for their leadership: Raegan Hall (graduate advisor), Emi Castillo (secretary), Jordan Garner (president), Sarah Gronwall (vice president), Hanna Purcell (treasurer), and Claire Hoover (staff advisor). Thanks also to our cabinet co-chairs for leading each committee!
2025-26 service highlights
32,689+
service hours
completed by Thompson Scholars during the 2025-26 academic year (average 24.8 hours per scholar)
8,063+
items donated
from our fall and spring food drives to benefit the Falcon Food Pantry, Dean of Students’ Grab-N-Go Food Program and Brown Bag Food Project
Thompson service trip
Planned by Graduate Advisor Raegan Hall and practicum student Jazmyn Zurcher (both Thompson alumni), Thompson Scholars partnered with NAMI Wood County in Bowling Green for the Spring 2026 service “trip” in April. Sixteen Scholars contributed to a variety of projects, including assembling resource packets, preparing care packages, writing encouraging messages, organizing materials for community programs and assisting with preparations for future events. Through this experience, Scholars gained a deeper appreciation for the impact of community-based mental health services and the important work being done to support individuals and families throughout Wood County.
Group service opportunities
A variety of Thompson group service events were available to Scholars, including opportunities and partnerships with For the Public Good Service Event, Black Swamp Arts Festival, Friends of the Wood County Library, Wintergarden Park, Simpson Garden Park, Letters of Love Card Making, Ecobricking and more.
Meaningful service
First-year Thompson Scholars were introduced to the principles of meaningful service through Summer Link or One-Day Orientation, while sophomore Achievers built these concepts through Meaningful Service workshops. Through interactive discussions led by Thompson Staff and Thompson Scholars, Scholars examined the impact of their service experiences and their understanding of active citizenship.
Thompson graduation events
This academic year, Thompson Scholarship Programs celebrated the achievements of our graduating Scholars with two inspiring graduate recognition events. Each celebration served as a meaningful reminder of the lasting impact of the Thompsons’ generosity and the power of our Thompson community. We are incredibly proud of every Scholar who achieved their goal of earning their college degree.
Thompson graduates
262 Thompson Graduates
Summer 2025: 16
Fall 2025: 45
Spring 2026: 201
December graduate recognition
In December, we recognized and celebrated 45 fall graduates with an intimate reception.
Sara Murray (2021 Cohort) was selected as the keynote speaker for her resiliency and persistence. A vocal music performance major, Sara weaved in musical references throughout her speech: “Every single one of us has this story, the moment of dissonance where we wanted to stop, wanted to walk off stage, stop singing, take the bow off the violin and our fingers off of the piano keys. But we didn’t. We are here not because we never fell, but because we always stood back up.”
Thompson Scholarship Programs end-of-year celebration
In April, University leaders and Thompson Foundation staff joined us to celebrate our spring and summer graduates. Following remarks from President Rogers and Thompson staff, Scholars were recognized for their program involvement and awards were announced. To wrap up the celebration, each graduate was presented with their Thompson graduation cords and Commencement pin.
Marissa Montgomery served as emcee for the occasion, while Mitch Carrico was chosen as our keynote speaker.
Graduate testimonials
Kiara Patrick
This degree is more than just an accomplishment for me; it represents hope, resilience and the ability to create a better future not only for myself, but also for my family and others I hope to impact. Kiara was selected for the Thompson Perseverance Award at our End-of-Year Celebration for never giving up despite navigating several challenges and setbacks.
Aidan Licata
Being selected as a Thompson Scholar has been both an honor and a responsibility and one that has motivated me to make the most of every opportunity and strive for excellence in everything I do. During his time at BGSU, Aidan scaled his business with Young Entrepreneurs Across America to over $1 million and was able to coach other students how to run their own business.
Jamal Booker
Being a Thompson Scholar played a major role in my growth. It gave me a strong sense of responsibility to make the most of every opportunity I was given. One of my goals coming into college was simply to become a better version of myself, and I can say with full confidence that I have achieved that. Jamal held many leadership roles, was a recipient of the Karl E. Vogt Outstanding Senior Award for the College of Business and started working as a human resources coordinator at Great Wolf Lodge in May.
Anthony Huffman
Thank you for opening the door and helping me begin this incredible journey. These past four years at BG have been nothing short of life-changing. Anthony currently works as an EMT and plans to eventually attend graduate school to become a physician assistant.
Lilian Seldon
The Thompson program truly changed my life, and I will forever be grateful to have a family within a family here at BGSU. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of something great. Lilian will be pursuing her Master of Science in counseling at Wright State University while working full-time.
Adrian Xaiyarath
As a child of immigrants and the working class, I knew I had to work hard for my future but didn’t know if college would be affordable. I cannot express my gratitude to the two of you and am proud to serve with such a strong community. A Summer Link Leader for two years, Adrian will be attending Case Western in the fall to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry.
Torin Hinkle
While service is not something I ever expect recognition for, I am glad to see that I have had an impact bigger than myself and will be leaving a legacy here at BGSU. I could not have done it without the people that pushed me, believed in my ideas and gave me opportunities to give back. Torin Hinkle received the Outstanding Community Service Award at the Applauding Excellence Award Ceremony. The award honors outstanding service to the Bowling Green and/or University community in the form of volunteerism or employment.
Updated: 07/14/2026 12:43PM