But Thompson had always wanted to serve in the military, so in 2014, she joined the U.S. Air Force. That’s why I joined the Air Force,” she said. After meeting with staff at The University of Texas at Dallas Military and Veteran Center (MVC), Thompson applied to UTD. In 2022, she saw a LinkedIn post from the U.S. Space Force encouraging professionals to apply for a direct commission as an officer. Recently promoted to captain, Thompson oversees four Space Force offices with more than 50 personnel reporting to her.