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Feature: Women’s Soccer’s Thompson Works to Slow the Spread of COVID-19
4/23/2020 12:08:00 PM | Women's Soccer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown women's soccer rising senior goalkeeper Kayla Thompson made an immediate impact for the Bears this fall after transferring to College Hill from West Virginia University, but she has made an even greater difference this spring as she helps to slow the spread of COVID-19.
A First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-East Region, and First Team All-New England selection this past year, Thompson helped the Bears complete a historic season in which the team won its first Ivy League title and made its first NCAA Championship appearance since 1994.
Thompson played a key role in that success, ranking sixth in the NCAA in save percentage (.892) and ninth in goals-against average (0.44). She helped Brown set single-season program records for wins (14), home wins (11), and shutouts (13).
Beyond the field, academics played a key role in Thompson's decision to make the move from West Virginia to Brown. Now the Public Health concentrator is using that academic background to help prepare coronavirus test kits.
At home in Austin, Texas, Thompson is working with Thermo Fisher Scientific, which has manufactured tens of millions of tests during the pandemic. The group is packaging two different sets of kits to aid in testing for the virus.
"They are working 24/7 to produce kits," Thompson said. "There are huge back orders on both of them."
Thompson's mother previously worked for Thermo Fisher Scientific and let her daughter know that the organization needed more workers as it increased its production of test kits. Thompson applied and interviewed for a position with the organization in early March while she was still on campus at Brown and began working with the group within a week of arriving home in Texas.
"Understanding how badly we needed tests since so many cases can be asymptomatic and not everyone can get tests right now, it's a huge part to get those tests out," Thompson said. "Any opportunity to do my part, I just hopped on."
Thompson works with Thermo Fisher on the weekends, helping to package kits and ensure quality control. She wears full personal protective equipment in a fast-paced and ever-evolving environment.
"It changes day to day, which is exciting. You're not going in doing the same thing," Thompson said.
A United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American this past fall, her academic courses helped prepare her for the potential impact of the virus, but her work at Thermo Fisher is providing her with an entirely different experience.
"I've done lab work before, but actually producing something that's not for a mandated experiment in class is a lot more high-stakes and feels a lot more important," Thompson said.
A First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-East Region, and First Team All-New England selection this past year, Thompson helped the Bears complete a historic season in which the team won its first Ivy League title and made its first NCAA Championship appearance since 1994.
Thompson played a key role in that success, ranking sixth in the NCAA in save percentage (.892) and ninth in goals-against average (0.44). She helped Brown set single-season program records for wins (14), home wins (11), and shutouts (13).
Beyond the field, academics played a key role in Thompson's decision to make the move from West Virginia to Brown. Now the Public Health concentrator is using that academic background to help prepare coronavirus test kits.
At home in Austin, Texas, Thompson is working with Thermo Fisher Scientific, which has manufactured tens of millions of tests during the pandemic. The group is packaging two different sets of kits to aid in testing for the virus.
"They are working 24/7 to produce kits," Thompson said. "There are huge back orders on both of them."
Thompson's mother previously worked for Thermo Fisher Scientific and let her daughter know that the organization needed more workers as it increased its production of test kits. Thompson applied and interviewed for a position with the organization in early March while she was still on campus at Brown and began working with the group within a week of arriving home in Texas.
"Understanding how badly we needed tests since so many cases can be asymptomatic and not everyone can get tests right now, it's a huge part to get those tests out," Thompson said. "Any opportunity to do my part, I just hopped on."
Thompson works with Thermo Fisher on the weekends, helping to package kits and ensure quality control. She wears full personal protective equipment in a fast-paced and ever-evolving environment.
"It changes day to day, which is exciting. You're not going in doing the same thing," Thompson said.
A United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American this past fall, her academic courses helped prepare her for the potential impact of the virus, but her work at Thermo Fisher is providing her with an entirely different experience.
"I've done lab work before, but actually producing something that's not for a mandated experiment in class is a lot more high-stakes and feels a lot more important," Thompson said.
Players Mentioned
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