Hailing from Cornwall, Connecticut, RJ Thompson was destined to be one of a kind as a student at Boston University. His prestigious major of Biomedical Engineering drew him to this school, while the Air Force ROTC program and his innate love for the city of Boston sealed the deal. I strongly believe that our campus is approximately 120% better for RJ’s decision.
Keeping in mind, “early to bed and early to rise makes a man wealthy, healthy and wise,” RJ fuels his body every morning with a sunrise workout, simple breakfast, and a dose of Mugar. But, having quit ROTC after two years, what drives RJ forward is not the mentality of America’s armed forces; rather, he is empowered by intellectuals such as Reinhard Niebuhr who once said, “grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
As a junior in the class of 2016, RJ is still passionate about his studies of biology and physics. He gushes, “Since I was a wee laddie, my imagination was filled with science fiction stories, and I loved all of the wondrous possibilities.”
On campus, RJ can be found playing intramural soccer, popping open a book on the BU beach, or working as the President of Silver Wings, an organization on campus which has offered him a way to stay in close contact with his ROTC friends while continuing to develop himself professionally. One of his favorite weekend activities is simply catching up with old friends. Laughing, he says, “I’ve developed the unusual habit of offering people tea, which generally turns such gatherings into small tea parties, which makes me chuckle.”
Perhaps one of the main reasons why RJ can be considered so unique on campus is his view on women. He genuinely looks for a girl with eyes that smile, or, as he describes, “which look at you and make your worries go away. A lot of that has to do with who the girl is as a person.” That’s right, RJ actually prefers to find girls who are truly themselves: trustworthy and giving. So refreshing!
So don’t be afraid to approach RJ on campus. After all, he has some advice for you freshmen out there- “Create yourself, get involved, try new things, and go out of your way to meet new people. Each time you do this, reflect and then cement ‘why’ you did it. Use that to build who you are.”