Nearly a decade ago, Karen Thompson dropped out of Kutztown University and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where she learned self-confidence, the importance of persistence and how to be a leader. After her discharge from the Marines, she made the decision to enroll at Delaware County Community College after repeatedly passing a sign outside the College’s Downingtown Campus that said, “It’s never too late to earn your degree.”

The sign convinced her. Even though she had been out of school for many years, Karen knew she needed to go back and earn a degree.

Today, Thompson has a 3.81 grade point average, works part-time as a dog trainer, is a salesperson at PetValu, and is active in a variety of activities both on and off campus. She is vice president of fellowship for the College’s Phi Theta Kappa honor society chapter, working each year to arrange the honor society’s induction ceremony for new students. She is vice president for membership for the College’s Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and she is treasurer of the College’s Modern Environmental Sustainability Association. She also volunteers to help feed, shelter and find homes for orphaned dogs and cats.

An avowed animal lover who has two dogs and two cats, Thompson plans on transferring to a four-year college to study environmental science. She eventually plans on earning a Master’s degree in science toward her ultimate goal of becoming a restoration ecologist, working to restore the natural environment to areas destroyed by human pollution, waste, mismanagement and neglect.

At the College, she has received a $1,000 Eisenman-Sebastian scholarship given to women interested in environmental science and a $500 PECO scholarship awarded to students interested in STEM majors.