When Josh Woodard ’16 was in high school, he was a part of JMG, which is a Maine-based program that prepares students for successful careers after graduation by helping them overcome academic, financial and social barriers. That’s when he met JMG specialist Matt Reynolds.

Through his JMG class and involvement in high school, he learned how to put together a resume, a portfolio and application for college. It’s also how he found his way to Thomas College.

“I chose Thomas because I like the small atmosphere and all the professors are so willing to go above and beyond to help the students to succeed,” said Woodard. “I would not have been able to thrive as well in a big school. I can have a personal relationship with my professors and communicate what the expectations are as well as utilize all of the resources here at Thomas.”

Woodard was surprised to see Reynolds again in 2014, when he became the on-site JMG specialist at Thomas College, one of the first in the state to have one.

Since 2014, Thomas has added another JMG specialist, Cory Paquette, who helped recruit JMG students from local high schools to Thomas as well as help former JMG students to thrive while at Thomas.

Now, Woodard is graduating a semester early and just got accepted into the Accelerated MBA program at Thomas. He thanks Reynolds, who helped him figure out he qualified for a JMG-grad scholarship, called the Clifford Scholarship.

“Thomas has helped me escape my shell because I’ve met so many different types of people and gained different perspectives at Thomas,” he said. “In the classroom, I’ve grown in terms of management and leadership skills.”