Hannah Thompson is in rarified company.
The senior biology student at The University of Toledo and a cadet in Bowling Green State University’s Air Force ROTC program is one of 14 ROTC students nationwide to receive the U.S. Air Force’s Health Professions Scholarship.
Graduating in May, Hannah Thompson will commission into the Air Force as a second lieutenant with the Health Professions Scholarship paying 100% of her tuition in UToledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences starting in fall 2023.
A student in UToledo’s BACC2MD program, a sequential pathway degree program where students complete their undergraduate degree followed by an M.D., Thompson liked her chances at securing the prestigious award. But she also wanted to temper those expectations.
“I never wanted to get my hopes too high,” Thompson said.
Her friends and fellow cadets did that for her.
“They told me I was going to for sure get it and shouldn’t worry,” Thompson said. “And when I told them I got it they all gave me a big ‘I told you so.’”
Set to graduate in spring, Thompson, 21, will commission into the Air Force as a second lieutenant with the Health Professions Scholarship paying 100% of her tuition in UToledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences starting in fall 2023, as well as books and fees for four years. Additionally, she’ll receive a $20,000 signing bonus, an annual salary of $33,000 and a monthly stipend of $2,608/month for 10.5 months.
“I think in the back of my mind I knew I was a competitive applicant because for the past two years I have put so much time and work into keeping my GPA high and being the best cadet I could be, and it did not go unnoticed,” she said.
Thompson was twice named cadet of the semester and in 2021 received the American Legion Award for Military Excellence.
“Cadet Thompson is an outstanding Air Force ROTC cadet who is laser-focused on accomplishing her goal of becoming an Air Force physician,” said Lt Col. Amy Grant, Bowling Green State University’s Air Force ROTC Detachment Commander and chair and professor of its Aerospace Studies Program.
“She’s successfully managed the competing priorities of a demanding undergraduate degree program, MCAT preparation, medical school application process and the weekly Air Force ROTC leadership development requirements. It’s a testament to Cadet Thompson’s discipline, work ethic and academic and leadership aptitude that she not only managed the priorities, but she performed so well Air Force ROTC has agreed to fund her entire undergraduate- and graduate-level education.”
Through the BACC2MD program, Thompson was one of 12 juniors accepted into medical school in spring 2021. In fact, the BACC2MD program is what drew her to UToledo, the first college she visited.
“I had an interest in the BACC2MD program and it seemed like an amazing opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she said. “When I stepped onto campus, I knew it was a place I could call home.
“Between that initial feeling and the BACC2MD program, I knew this was where I wanted to spend the next four years.”
The biology program proved to be a rewarding challenge, she said, one that forced her to “rediscover” herself as a student and as a person.
“My classes and professors are constantly pushing me to become a better student and break down barriers I thought I never would,” Thompson said. “This drive and work ethic the biology program instilled in me helped me succeed in my Air Force ROTC career and ultimately helped me stand out from other applicants for the HPSP award.”
“Her ability to earn this scholarship is a direct result of UToledo’s outstanding biology program,” Grant added.
Because of a bad sports injury she suffered as a high school senior that led to multiple surgeries and yearlong recovery, Thompson said she is considering trauma orthopedic surgery as a medical specialty. She also has an interest in becoming an Air Force flight surgeon, working in a fighter pilot squadron.
Her brother, Jacob, is now a second lieutenant in the Air Force, after graduating from Ohio State University Air Force ROTC in December 2021.
“He has been my rock and biggest influence throughout the program,” Thompson said. “But I had a village backing me up during this entire process. Every step of the way, all the good and bad moments, they were there to cheer me on and lift me up.”
