Ian Thompson ’16
It has been three years since Ian Thompson ’16 graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio University with a B.A. in Sociology-Criminology and minor in Anthropology. Since then he has been working at Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, which is a division of disability services for the Social Security department.
His job is to review medical evidence to determine if an individual qualifies for disability benefits due to either a physical or mental condition.
“Do I get to use my degree in sociology-criminology or anthropology?” Thompson asks. “Not much as I would like to.”
But he does put the fact-finding skills that he learned from professors like Dr. Vander Ven and Dr. Freter-Abrams to good use in his work. What he enjoys most about his job is that he knows the determination that he makes will have an impact on people’s lives.
He describes his work as very satisfying but also difficult at times, especially when reading medical reports that reveal what some people are dealing with.
“But every day I go and do work that I enjoy,” he explains.
And it was while working at this job that he met the person he calls best friend. He misses Ohio University, especially a burrito from Big Mamas and a chicken and waffle sandwich from Uptown Grill.
“I’m always grateful for the education and experience I got from OHIO,” he concludes, “because it helped me with the skills I needed to get this job and have the life that I do now. So the only real thing I can say in the end, GO BOBCATS!”
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