Middle Tennessee State University alumna and music artist  Hunter Wolkonowski, who performs as HunterGirl, fulfilled a dream with her debut at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, March 2, complete with a standing ovation. 

 “I’m so excited to be here. I’ve wanted to be on this stage my whole life,” she told the packed house inside the storied venue. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry, but it’s hard not to.”  

 Wolkonowski, whose stage name comes from a childhood nickname, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in the  Department of Recording Industry’s Music Business Program  in 2020. Her passion for her career has inspired more than a few fans back at her alma mater.  

 “I am so proud of all that Hunter has accomplished since graduating!” said College of Media and Entertainment  Dean Beverly Keel, who attended the performance. “She is writing her own hits, performing on stages everywhere and serving as a tremendous role model for our students. She is making the right career moves while building an impressive body of work.”  

 While attending MTSU, the Winchester, Tennessee, native donated her time and talent to help raise funds for the  Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center  by singing at two of the university’s Veteran Impact Celebrations.

“She’s a super talented songwriter and performer, singer and musician. But most of all, she has a tremendous heart that comes through in everything she does,” said Daniels Center Director  Hilary Miller.  

Surprising Wolkonowski on the Opry stage, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, Miller and Keel presented the rising country star a personalized bomber jacket from the Veteran’s Center to celebrate her success and thank her for all her work with veterans.  

 “Her success in my mind was always a future fact as her audience grew and more listeners were touched and inspired by her songs. Her humble, pure heart is obvious to all,” said Huber, MTSU’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives. “It was my true privilege to be present at her Opry debut and to alert the audience as to her involvement with veterans.” 

 HunterGirl received a standing ovation after performing her debut single, “Ain’t About You,” and an unreleased song, “Clockworks.” She is the first female country artist in more than 30 years to write her radio single debut by herself.  

 “Songwriting is hard sometimes because it feels like you’re laying your soul out there and being your most honest self. Full honesty with y’all – y’all know me better than most people,” Wolkonowski said.   

 “I started singing when I was 3. My mom said I would sing about anything and everything — making up songs like, ‘I’m going to get some orange juice!’ That was my first one,” she said from the Opry stage.  

 HunterGirl is opening for Luke Bryan on his “Mind of a Country Boy” tour, which begins June 22 in Bristow, Virginia. She came in second place on the hit television show “American Idol” in spring 2022 and was named an honorary professor at MTSU in May 2022. 

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)