Thompson is a trained criminologist, receiving her B.A. in Criminology and Investigations from West Virginia University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Criminology, Law, and Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Before joining SCU, Thompson lived in Chicago for eight years where she taught criminology courses at UIC and worked at Center on Halsted—an LGBTQ community center—for 1 year. Her mixed-race (half-Black/half-Latina) and queer identities make her passionate about intersectionality and social justice. During her time as the Director of the Office for Multicultural Learning, Thompson dedicated herself to helping educate and transform the SCU community around multicultural and multiracial issues.