Jim Thompson may be graduating this year, but one thing he won’t be leaving behind is his passion for an alternative education program at the University of Georgia. Thompson, who is vice president of the Student Government Association, is working with other students and the JW Fanning Institute for Leadership Development to widen the group of people who can receive a higher education. The program would be a place where young adults with cognitive disabilities could experience independence by providing residential accommodations, while also learning valuable skills- much like university life. The goal of the program is to allow students with cognitive disabilities the chance to live a normal life and be fully functional members of their communities. The curriculum will include both skills for careers as well as life. A similar program has already been implemented at Clemson University called ClemsonLIFE. While the idea has not yet been approved, Thompson and the other students behind the idea say they won’t stop pushing until it is.