Former MC student advances active transportation policy researchMarch 20, 2023

In August 2022, Midland College received an online donation to the Chaparral Circle Endowment Fund Court of Honor from Jacob Thompson with the following note:

“I just want to express my gratitude to Midland College and everything y’all do! . . . MC is where it all started for me, and while I never obtained a degree there, I am still proud of my time at MC, and I wouldn’t be where I am today:  10 years and two master’s degrees later, I’m hoping to land a job at a top research university in the Northeast.”

As it turned out, in December 2022, just a few months after he wrote that note, Thompson did land a research position.  He is now working at the Alan M. Vorhees Transportation Center (VTC), which is part of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers University.  VTC is a national leader in the research and development of innovative transportation policy and has a full array of resources on transportation issues of regional and national significance.  The Center includes the National Transit Institute, which was created by Congress in 1992 to design and deliver training and education programs for the U.S. transit industry.

Thompson’s specialty is bike and pedestrian safety, and his job entails a variety of responsibilities.

“One of my first major tasks is helping to write a policy recommendation for SRTS’s [Safe Routes to School] expansion to include high school students,” Thompson explained.  “SRTS is a U.S. Department of Transportation program that promotes walking and bicycling to school through infrastructure improvements, enforcement, tools, safety education and incentives.  We help transportation departments, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and school districts plan and implement SRTS programs within two miles of schools where school districts don’t provide bus transportation.”

Thompson’s interest in pedestrian and bicycle safety started at an early age.  He was born in Austin, TX; however, he moved to Italy with his mother and Italian-native stepfather when he was 7.  He attended Italian public schools in Turin, in northern Italy, from second grade through his sophomore year in high school, and like many Europeans, his family relied on walking, cycling and public transportation.   

“I moved back to Austin when I was in high school, and I remember thinking how odd it was that every family had at least two cars!” Thompson recalled.

After graduating from Lake Travis High School in 2009, Thompson went on vacation in Italy, and in a rare instance when he was actually in a car in Italy, he was involved in a serious automobile accident that left him with numerous broken bones and internal injuries.  He was in a coma for two months and in the hospital for seven months.  After being released from the hospital, he underwent over a year of physical therapy in Italy.  

“At that point, I really had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said.  “I wanted to move back to the United States, but didn’t know where.  I had relatives in Midland, and they encouraged me to go to Midland and take classes at Midland College.  So, I did, and that was the beginning of my higher education journey that has led me to where I am today.”

Thompson attended Midland College from July 2012 to May 2013 and then transferred to the University of Oregon where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages and General Social Sciences in 2016.  From 2017-2019, he attended the University of Delaware and earned a master’s degree in Urban Affairs & Public Policy.  

Thompson then worked in the Philadelphia area for the Lower Merion School District serving as a member of the instructional support staff and a substitute teacher, mainly in special education courses.  It wasn’t long before Thompson was back taking classes—this time at Rutgers working on a master’s degree in City & Regional Planning, which he obtained in 2021.  Between June 2021 and November 2022, he worked for the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, a nonprofit, public-private partnership dedicated to promoting and providing transportation choices that are designed to reduce congestion, improve mobility, increase safety and further sustainability in Mercer and Ocean County, New Jersey.

“That job really helped prepare me for my current position,” Thompson said.  “In addition to the SRTS work that I’m doing, I am also part of two teams.  One is working on developing a Community Vision Plan, and the other is organizing and conducting a series of community visioning workshops in New York State.  

“Another project that I’m very excited about is assisting the executive director and two other colleagues to develop and teach a graduate studio course where students must complete a project that includes planning a city where residents are within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from all the services they need.”

Thompson doesn’t just plan for others to walk and bike ride.  He practices what he preaches and said that he used to bike to his previous job, but now can walk to work.  He also participates in fundraising bike rides.  One of his most recent bike rides was a two-day ride from New York to Philadelphia via the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile pedestrian and bicycle route that extends from Maine to Florida.  Its goal is for the entire route to use off-road, shared-use paths.  Currently over 1,000 miles of the route meets this criterion.

Thompson also enjoys cooking, reading (mainly horror and science fiction) and occasionally playing video games.  He and his girlfriend watch Jeopardy! every day, and he is an aspiring Jeopardy! champion.  

He said that he is also a huge college football fan.  His favorite Big 12 team is Texas Tech; however, his all-time favorite team is his alma mater the University of Oregon.  He is planning a trip back to West Texas in September when Texas Tech plays Oregon in Lubbock.

“My relatives in Midland are all Texas Tech fans, so we will have some friendly family rivalry going on that weekend,” he said.

Thompson also enjoys running and working out.  He is currently training for a half-marathon to take place in April.