Scholarships Power Student’s Journey, From Cancer Research to Celtic Culture

When Mallory Thompson ’26 was interviewed for the Rae Elizabeth Smith ’59 Washington Scholarship, she asked the committee what experiences she shouldn’t miss out on as a University of Mary Washington student.

“They told me, unanimously, that I should study abroad,” said Thompson, a senior biomedical sciences major from Spotsylvania who went on to earn the prestigious award that provides full tuition, fees, and housing and dining for in-state students. “Receiving that scholarship totally changed my college experience.”

She also recently earned the Grellet C. Simpson International Scholarship, which supported her studies during the fall semester at the University College Cork in Ireland. At this world-class research institution, she took courses in anatomy and philosophy for her practical ethics minor, along with Celtic cultural classes like Irish mythology and step-dancing, as well as a lesser known form of traditional folk dancing known as “Irish sets.”

“I’m so grateful to my donors for providing me with these experiences,” Thompson said. An aspiring physician, she joined UMW’s Pre-Health Society, volunteers with Red Cross blood drives and Mary Washington Healthcare’s emergency department and traveled with Global Medical Brigades to treat patients in rural Panama – and dances with the Performing Arts Company for fun.

Read more about student’s journey from cancer research to Celtic culture.