Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Thompson.
Hi Monica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Memphis, TN and consider myself a product of the city. As a child, I was educated in the public school system and benefitting from the free resources offered to assist families and enrich young students in the area. Now, an educator and higher education professional, I get to serve and work in the city that raised me. In my daily work as a recruiter and student affairs coordinator, I get to live out my passion to create access to higher education and be an advocate for low income and underrepresented students who provides the resources they need to pursue an education. I have been able to not only work with students and families as they navigate the college search process but connect institutions in the area to do the same.
I was always the student that worked hard in school and wanted to do well, but going to college is what changed everything. I had access to people and opportunities that saw potential in me that I did not even see in myself. I met individuals that pushed me to pursue more, work harder, dream bigger, and broaden my horizons. These experiences in college opened my eyes to the world around me, but also ignited a passion to change the lives of students through education. Both my bachelor’s and my master’s program have allowed me to pair my experience in the field with an academic foundation that allows me to be a better advocate for students. After graduating college, I began a career in higher education that took me across the county, but one that would eventually turn full circle and lead me back to my hometown.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has not been smooth. I have had the unique opportunity to be the first in my position. Starting programming, building relationships, and creating partnerships from the ground up takes a huge amount of diligence and perseverance. Creating new opportunities for students has often been met with opposition. It requires knocking on doors that have never been opened and paving roads for those that will come behind you. Working in education, a field that is affected by so many other factors such as politics, economics, and culture, I have found myself balancing the many things that affect students and families. It is very difficult for a student to focus on higher education if their basic needs are not being met, or their home situations are unstable. I often find myself helping students and families reach a social or financial goal before we can begin to reach educational goals. I have been told “no”, ” not yet”, or “not right now”, more times than I can count, but these are the struggles that push me to find solutions for students, and to find new ways to help them accomplish their goals.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Working as a Regional Undergraduate Admissions counselor in Texas and coordinating pre-collegiate programs for the Haslam College of Business in Knoxville and now working in the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has given me the opportunity to work with students from all backgrounds, stages of life, and family situations. Providing guidance in navigating the college search process, workshops for students and parents, summer camps and enrichment opportunities has all brought me back to the City of Memphis where I have been able to truly serve my community through education. I have a comprehensive approach to my work and create opportunities for students to be prepared to complete the FAFSA and other financial documents, to communicate their stories through essays and resumes, and to provide students with the social and culture capital they need to be successful in a college environment. My job is more than working with students, but empowering parents, teachers, and high school staff to give students the financial, social, and educational resources that low-income and underrepresented students oftentimes lack. Not only have I have been able to continue to serve students, but I have also been able work with middle schools, high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions in the area and help them work together to provide the resources that students need to be ready to attend college. I am blessed to call what I love my profession and spend my days advocating for students and families. I have set myself and the work that I do apart because I truly view every program, every workshop, presentation, college fair, and educational opportunity for students as my God-given service and contribution to my city and my community. It is the way that I use my God-given gifts to make a positive change in this world. I am most proud but fortunate that my vocation has a direct impact on the lives and futures of people that I come into contact with every day. I am even more grateful to be a reason that a student believes in themselves and their abilities and sees the positive impact they can have in their families and communities.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Sure! I would just want to encourage anyone reading this to believe that the work that you are doing is bigger than yourself. It’s bigger than the hurdles that you may face and it’s worth persevering through the difficult times. Everyone has the opportunity to impact the lives that God has placed around them, and that is always worth the fight and the sacrifice.
Contact Info:
- Email: monica.thompson9@gmail.com
