Will Thompson for
Fargo City Commission
NORTH DAKOTA BORN
FARGO RAISED
Will Thompson is a 5th generation North Dakotan born in Minnewaukan on Aug. 2nd 1997, the son of Vern and Cindy Thompson. At the time, Vern was a North Dakota State Senator in District 12 and Cindy was a Special Agent for the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. In 2001, they moved to Bismarck where Vern served as the Executive Director of the North Dakota Dem-NPL. Then in 2005, they moved to Fargo, the place Will would stay until he graduated from Fargo Davies High School in 2016.
A STAND OUT STUDENT
While at Davies High School, Will became involved with Theatre and Student Council. By his senior year, he would be chosen to serve as the President of the Student Council, the Student Body, and of the Theatre Department. During his Junior year, Will began to struggle with mental health, and sought professional help on Feb. 23rd, 2015, after failing to execute an attempt on his own life (Will gives credit to his Freshman and Sophomore year English Teacher, Ms. Seelig, and her teaching of the book Tears of a Tiger for saving his life that day). Will would subsequently be diagnosed with Chronic Major Depression. By his senior year, Will would become a vocal advocate for Mental Health awareness.
GROWING HIS
ROOTS
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
After graduating, Will went off to college at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. While at college, he would join the Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ) Fraternity. Will also worked two jobs throughout his time in college. From Aug. 2016 - May 2020, Will worked for the University doing Digital Production and Color Commentary for Gopher Digital Productions and the University's sports department. From Mar. 2017 - Present Will worked at Boulger Funeral Home as a Funeral Assistant. In the summer of 2017, Will and a childhood friend moved out to Los Angeles and tried to get their feet in the door in the Entertainment Industry. Will did background acting throughout the summer, appearing in shows like Brooklyn 99, American Crime Story (while in Miami), and Goliath.
A STEEP CLIMB
PASSION BY EXPERIENCE
During his Junior year of college, Will again began to experience trouble with his mental health, this time in the form of drug addiction. Will would seek professional help on Feb. 27, 2019. After spending time getting help as both in-patient and outpatient, and after completing a rehab program, Will returned to the life he had put on pause. This experience, coupled with his previous personal experiences with mental health, have fostered a strong sense of duty in Will to raise awareness for Mental Health problems and to fight the stigma against Mental Health. One of the ways he has done this is by putting on an annual Alumni Improv Show with fellow Davies High School Theatre alumni, with proceeds going to the North Dakota Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
A NEW CHAPTER
DEDICATED TO A LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE
Will graduated from the U of M - Twin Cities in 2020 with a Bachelor of Individualized Studies in Studies in Cinema and Media Culture, Creative Writing, and Theatre Arts. With a post-secondary education complete, Will has moved back to his native Fargo, and has decided to make a commitment to getting civically involved. He ran for the State House in 2020 unsuccessfully, but now wants to focus on his hometown instead of his home state. After attending City Commission meetings for most of 2021, Will decided to to make a run at the the commission himself, after noticing a lack of a large amount of community engagement in the local government.