Opening Doors to Education

For Eva Thomson '78, '80 MBA, UMass Amherst was a transformative experience that gave her the tools and knowledge she needed to build a meaningful life. She is now dedicated to paying it forward to future generations.

“I give back to the university for a simple reason: The experiences and education I received profoundly changed my life,” says Eva, who serves on the Commonwealth Honors College Advisory Board. 

“Education changes people’s lives, opens their minds, and gives opportunities they never would have otherwise.”

Eva made a gift in her estate plan to establish the Eva Thomson Scholarship. She also gives back through her current-use scholarship, the Eva Thomson Commonwealth Honors College Community Scholarship. The scholarships provide support for first-generation students or those who had to delay their education, serve as primary caregiver for their family, or come from a household that is supported by a sole caregiver. This was important to Eva, who was a nontraditional student herself.

 “I know what it was like cobbling together the financing of my education entirely on my own through meager savings, work study, waitressing, loans, and Pell grants while meeting the demands of a rigorous academic schedule,” she says. “I hope my scholarships can help individuals who don’t have support from family.” 

Forging Her Own Path

After graduating from UMass Amherst, Eva worked for several major companies before realizing her dream of owning her own company. In 2000, she founded Thomson Financial, an independent, women-owned financial planning firm serving the Pioneer Valley.  “As a financial planner, I had the privilege to work with individuals to create their estate plans and decide how they wanted to use their assets in life, and in death,” Eva says. “One of my own estate goals is to leave an endowment in perpetuity to help students for decades to come.”

Thomson, who retired in 2018, encourages others to consider leaving a bequest in their estate plan to make an even greater impact.  

“Giving now, I get to meet the students and hear about their dreams and aspirations. Giving through an endowment, which is activated after my death, feels like I can touch the future,” Eva says. “It’s my hope that recipients of the scholarships will know someone believes in them and is cheering them on from afar.”