Erik Thorkelson
Erik Thorkelson
Class Year
’17
Current home
Maple Grove, Minnesota
Major(s)
Geography and Earth Science
Current Position
GIS Analyst at SRF Consulting Group
Erik graduated from Carthage in 2017 with a major in geography and earth science and minors in geographical information sciences (GIS) and business administration. He currently works as a GIS Analyst at SRF Consulting Group in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
“I work for an engineering firm specializing in transportation engineering. I create custom solutions for internal and external clients using the full suite of ArcGIS Products and ArcGIS Online functions. Ranging from custom data creation to a Story Map highlighting the data and telling the story of a project, I have my hands in a lot of mapping!”
What have you enjoyed most about your career?
“I really enjoy visual data and all the new ways we can show it. I have held a lot of different positions and seeing how government organizations, engineering firms, and local government use GIS is really great.”
How did Carthage prepare you?
“I believe I left Carthage very well rounded as a human being and having a variety of skills really helps you think critically and problem solve. In addition to that, the GIS minor at the time set me up with all the necessary skills to begin a career and go to get my master’s degree.”
What Carthage professors played a part in your success and how?
“The entire Geospatial Science Department faculty was critical. They were very supportive and always willing to help in any way that they could. They created an environment that was really conducive to learning and growing. The relationships I built with geospatial professors really paid off after Carthage. It was nice to know that if Professor Wenjie Sun or Professor Joy Mast was going to be a reference for you, that they knew who you were and could give a potential employer a real reference and not a canned story.”
Were you an award recipient? If so, tell us about the awards you received and what they meant to you.
“I received the Smeds Internship, was on the Dean’s List, and graduated Cum Laude.”