2024 Alumni Honors: Erica Thunder

Alumna honored with the 2024 Young Alumni Achievement Award.

Hometown: Bottineau, N.D.

Area of study: Political Science

What makes you proudest?

My most proud accomplishment has been the ability to bring an Indigenous voice to the table in all my positions. In many cases, that hadn’t happened before. I am constantly asking, ‘How do I improve my communities and leave things better than I found them?’

On Winning Woman of the Year:

I thought the email telling me I was the USA Today Woman of the Year for North Dakota was spam. “I was talking to my mom on the phone at the time and I said, ‘Does this sound real?’”

On the Women in her Life:

Through my journey, I’ve been able to shine a light on the women in my life (mom, grandmother, aunts) and speaking about the incredible things they did at a very difficult time with all sorts of odds stacked against them.

On UND:

My dad passed away when I was in high school, and my time at UND felt like a healing time. I was in a safe place, surrounded by supportive people.

On the academic side, I took my first Indian law class, Indian Gaming taught by Dr. Steven Light, which started my career trajectory. My grandma, an Arikara and member of the MHA Nation, suggested I consider Indian law.

Growing up, my family attended many performances at the Chester Fritz Auditorium, and I went to UND basketball and volleyball camps. My brother (Evan Wondrasek, ’10) played in the UND Wind Ensemble. Even though I wasn’t going into music, Dr. Popejoy offered me a music scholarship for the Wind Ensemble.