Now a Bowling Green State University graduate at age 20, McKenna Clark '24 said it sounds strange to say that she honestly didn’t know much about the Thompson Working Families Scholarship Program prior to visiting the campus.

Clark knew a friend of a friend had gone through the program, but she admittedly was not quite sure about her next move after high school.

Before deciding, though, she agreed to visit BGSU at least once – and found what became a life-changing support system.

“Before I applied, my mom said I should go on campus, take a look, and see the overall vibe because you can’t choose unless you’ve been there,” Clark said. “When we went on the visit and stopped in with the Thompsons, I just knew this was going to be perfect for me.”

Hailing from the village of Forest, Ohio, south of Findlay, Clark said the size of the campus was just right for her, but the network provided by her scholarship was a difference-maker as she pursued a degree in applied health science on the pre-Physical Therapy track.

The Thompson scholarship is need-based, but is far different from the standard scholarship program.

In addition to maintaining a 3.0 grade-point average, Thompson scholars are asked to make a difference in their communities through service and to be active members of the program, which allows them to benefit from and add to a robust support system.

Included in the program are one-on-one meetings with a scholarship advisor whose mission is to help Thompson Scholars succeed everywhere in their lives as they navigate college and beyond.

Clark said her meetings with her Thompson Scholarship advisor, Ashleigh Diefenbach, were instrumental in helping her find her way at BGSU.

“It wasn’t just an academic advisor talking about what classes you need to take,” Clark said. “It was more like having a life advisor – you could talk about literally everything. We talked a lot about how I could find myself in the community and at school and explore ways to put myself out there.

“It honestly felt like a second family and they would be there for me no matter what.”

Clark also received a significant boost from College Credit Plus, which allowed her to transfer credits directly to BGSU and fast-track her undergraduate studies.

By the time she arrived at BGSU, she already was set to take coursework in her major, which allowed her to quickly make connections with expert faculty and take classes designed to improve her skills within her field.

“Skills practiced in labs help students like McKenna gain confidence in their abilities to interact with others from a variety of backgrounds and help people understand their bodies and what they can do to improve their health,” said Dr. Todd Keylock, an associate professor of exercise science at BGSU.

“Pre-PT students are often highly motivated to learn all they can to be able to make patient's lives better, to become more mobile, and recover from injuries.”

Clark said practicing in the field confirmed that she was on the right path.

Helping physical therapy patients regain autonomy brought victories that made the work worth the effort, she said.

“Watching my residents get back to doing what they love to do, transition independently and get back to their previous life was really inspiring to me,” she said. “I remember feeling so proud of them because I saw how hard they worked.”

As she graduates, Clark said her comprehensive experience at BGSU gave her the knowledge to confidently enter physical therapy school and pursue a fulfilling profession.

“It really cemented for me that this is what I wanted to do,” Clark said. “And now I know I’m capable of doing it.”