Weslee Thompson Selected as VEOP Scholarship Recipient
Growing up, Weslee Thompson always envisioned that he would become a professional soccer player.
Thompson, a junior Psychology and Health Sciences major, is the youngest of seven children born to his parents, who were serving as missionaries on the island of Guam. He and his siblings grew up calling sandy beaches their home and from an early age, soccer was an important part of life. Thompson played on the Guam Football Association’s international team for two years before he and his family moved to Maine at the age of 13.
“I soon adjusted and began playing in the New England Premier League. With dreams of becoming a professional athlete, I devoted all of my free time to the game that I loved,” he said.
By his senior year, Thompson was looking forward to playing soccer in college. However, a career-ending injury would change his path.
“I was told that I would not be able to play the game I loved and that I was lucky to be walking,” he said.
Thompson’s body began to heal with the help of physical therapy. By this time, he had made the decision to attend Castleton. Thompson was living with his grandmother, who was diagnosed with dementia, for nearly a year and while he was preparing to begin his first semester at Castleton, her health rapidly declined. Thompson helped take care of his grandmother until she passed a few months later.
“It was during these months that I decided to devote my life to helping people return to healthy lifestyles. The combination of my own physical rehabilitation experience and the experience of caring for my grandmother hardened my resolve to attend college and medical school,” he said.
Thompson had enough money saved from previous work experience to pay for one year of college. His freshman year, he attended classes while working 40 hours a week at McDonald’s, a job that held little reward but accommodated his 18-credit schedule. Thompson also worked at his uncle’s farm, milking cows before classes. A typical day, he says, consisted of milking, rushing off to classes, and working a shift at McDonald’s, before finishing homework and going to bed.
At the beginning of his sophomore year, Thompson took a course with Professor and Writing Specialist Dorothy Dahm, who would later offer him a job as a writing tutor in the Academic Support Center.
“This job allowed me to quit the farm and further develop my writing skills by helping my peers,” Thompson said.
Thompson was recently named a winner of the statewide Vermont Educational Opportunity Programs (VEOP) Student Support Services Scholarship. This year, the VEOP awarded six scholarships to students in Vermont's TRIO and Gear Up Programs. These federally funded programs help teens and adults from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their educational goals. Vermont's programs include Upward Bound, Gear Up, Talent Search, Student Support Services, McNair Scholars, and Educational Opportunity Centers. Student Support Services programs like Castleton’s help first-generation college students, students from low-income families, and students with disabilities succeed in college.
“I was told that I would not be able to afford college without a soccer scholarship, and yet with hard work and aid from the TRIO Program, I am still helping other students as a tutor, working 40 hours a week at McDonald’s, and maintaining a 4.0 GPA as a double major in Psychology and Health Sciences,” Thompson said.