BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) – Shock, joy and relief are just some of the many emotions that some BGSU students experienced after walking into a special event at University Hall.
The students had no idea what they were waling into, but shortly after, they learned that they were selected for the Thompson Working Families Scholarship Program.
“The biggest smile, my hands were shaking, my buddy beside me, his hands were shaking too,” said Wyatt Michael, a scholarship recipient. “He called his mom immediately and I called my mom and it was super fun, it was great, it was awesome.
The scholarship this year totals $6.6 million and is being awarded to 200 students who applied for it earlier in the year to help pay for their tuition.
“The first thing I wanted to do was call my dad, you know because he’s a big believer in me,” said Carter Leonard, another scholarship recipient. “He was just like ‘are you kidding me?’ and I said ‘no sir, I am not. I’m totally serious. I’m on scholarship.’ I heard the background noise and everybody was hooting and hollering, it was really cool.
The students had to work hard by meeting GPA requirements and doing community service, all while facing a financial need. Now, with the financial burden gone, the students can focus on the next chapter of their lives.
“The past few days and even few months since coming back for spring semester, I’ve been worried about, you know, trying to pay off this current semester to go to the next,” said Leonard. “Now that weight is off my shoulders.”
When you are applying for stuff like this you never know if it’s going to go your way and I’m just so happy that it did and I get to continue here. I love this school so much.
The Thompson family’s recent contribution is the largest in the university’s history and is also the largest gift designated to student scholarships ever in the state of Ohio.
Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals
Copyright 2025 WTVG. All rights reserved.
