When a last-minute change in his first year of college left University of Mary Washington senior Will Thompson without a Randolph Hall roommate, things started out “quiet.”
That didn’t last long.
A soccer player majoring in international business, Thompson pushed himself to get out of his room and meet as many people as possible.
A teammate involved in the African Student Union? Thompson signed up for ASU too.
A friend playing rugby? Thompson started going to games.
Arab Culture Club? UMW Choirs? Talk to the Hands? You name it, Thompson was in.
“Before I knew it, I was meeting so many people from so many different backgrounds,” he said.
Flash forward four years, and he’s interned on Capitol Hill and played soccer on UMW’s top-performing Division III team. And all those connections? They’ve fed into what he calls a “journey of self-belief” that led him all the way to the top of student government.
“Gaining confidence and knowing the community made me feel like I could represent and speak on the issues of our class,” said Thompson, this year’s Student Government Association (SGA) president. “It wasn’t hard to feel comfortable and realize I could do something bigger.”
Growing up in a military family, he’d already lived in Alabama and Georgia, before spending his teens in Virginia and graduating from a Christian prep school where sports and service were key. Thompson excelled in both, playing soccer and rowing, and connecting with community, including serving meals at a food kitchen housed inside the school.
He wanted all that for college, too, plus a place with an intimate feel. So when UMW Soccer Coach Jason Kilby spotted Thompson at a high school scrimmage and asked him to tour Mary Washington, a college career was set to kick off. “I got the feeling I was looking for the minute I walked through,” Thompson said. “I felt like I was home.”
He found a personalized path in the classroom, as well, where a major in international business put a global slant on his dream of someday starting a company, perhaps a nonprofit, and took him to Germany for a tour of Berlin this past fall. A course in political science fed his passion for civic engagement and led to internships in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he handled concerns from constituents. And he sat in on hearings, meeting the likes of former House Speakers Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Last summer, Thompson made a turn toward technology. The Center for Career and Professional Development helped him land a project management job to build a detection and survey prototype for the U.S. Marine Corps.
On campus, he found family in soccer, and when he needed after-practice rides, he got them from Burundian teammate Gadsoni Abel ’23. They’d stop by ASU meetings, and before they both knew it, Thompson had joined the group too. The club gave him a glimpse of African language, tradition and culture; pulled him into performing at the Colors of Africa fashion show; and sparked a trajectory of networking that just keeps on going.
As his connections increased, his confidence climbed, and Thompson became immersed in student life, taking on roles as an SGA senator and chairman of the Student Life and Engagement Committee, and founding an ad-hoc committee on sustainability.
The next step – running for SGA president – was a leap of faith: “I decided I was just going to jump in,” he said.
Thompson won the office last May. He spent the summer reviewing the constitution and the student handbook, arranging activities for SGA members and planning for the year.
“Part of what he’s wanted is to amplify the positive aspect of being in community with one another at Mary Washington,” said Dean of Students Melissa Jones, who’s served as his mentor. “He’s wanted to create an environment where everybody feels seen and heard.”
So much for that “quiet” start.
“Everyone grows into themselves at different times,” Thompson said. “I think it took me coming to Mary Washington.”
Met Will and his family beginning a few years ago. It was obvious Will has an infectious personality and very well spoken in many topics engaging many in various conversations. He’d make a great International Ambassador!