In Drury’s communication department, Hanson found structure and expectations. Small classes meant there was no hiding. She was asked to speak, to write, to revise, and to try again until the work felt right. It was steady, sometimes uncomfortable, and exactly what she needed.

As an Advertising and Public Relations major, she threw herself into the work. Late nights refining projects turned into early mornings presenting them. Feedback became less about criticism and more about growth. Over time, she began to recognize her own voice.

She also joined AD Team, where she spent three years working on campaigns for national clients like Glidden Paint, Mary Kay, and Pizza Hut. The projects demanded more than creativity. They required research, strategy, and collaboration, all moving in sync. By her senior year, Hanson could see how each decision shaped the outcome.

“You learn how many pieces have to come together to make something work,” she says. “And you start to see where you fit into that.”

Some of the most meaningful moments came unexpectedly. When Hanson’s appendix ruptured, it was Dr. Waters who showed up at the hospital.

“That’s when you realize this is more than a campus,” Hanson says. “It’s people who actually care about you. It’s a family away from your own.”

By graduation, the uncertainty she brought with her to Springfield had shifted. In its place was something steadier — a belief that she could move forward and figure things out along the way.

After Drury, Kari’s first professional role was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the full-service marketing agency Lawrence & Schiller. Working there was meaningful for her — she had shadowed a Drury alum who worked there while taking time off from college.

“She was the reason I found Drury and why I was going back to L&S,” Hanson said. “It really gave me a full circle moment.” Since then, Kari has worked across marketing teams in local companies, startups, and national clients, often following leaders she respected and continuing to learn how organizations function.

“This also allowed me to transition into roles beyond my degree,” she explains. “Drury gave me the skill sets to be plugged into operations and strategy roles within organizations.”

Each role added a new layer of understanding. Not just how to build a campaign, but how to build trust and create inclusiveness in cross-functional teams. How to listen closely. How to navigate different perspectives and bring people toward a shared goal.

Now, Hanson is transitioning into a role with Sutter Health in California, where she focuses on strategic partnerships. Her work at Sutter Health focuses on transforming vendor relationships into strategic partnerships, aligning stakeholders across clinical, operational, and commercial teams to drive measurable value and long-term impact. Her days are filled with conversations that require patience and perspective. She listens carefully, asks questions, and helps move relationships forward in ways that feel collaborative and intentional.

“So much of it comes back to what I learned at Drury,” she says. “Understanding people, understanding how things connect, and being intentional about how you show up.”

Those connections have never really faded. Hanson still talks with her professors. She still reaches out for advice and shares updates along the way. What began on campus continues to shape her, even as her career carries her to new places.

Hanson’s sense of community is something she builds actively. It shows up in the way she gives back and the way she chooses to meet challenges.

She has volunteered with organizations like the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters, staying connected to causes that matter to her. Living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neuromuscular condition that has required multiple surgeries on her feet, she has learned to approach obstacles with both honesty and determination.

In 2023, she set a goal to run a half-marathon while raising funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. On race day in St. Petersburg, Florida, she stood at the starting line with a sinus infection and a double ear infection, the air thick and warm before sunrise.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is miserable,’” she says. “But also, I can do hard things.”

She finished. A few months later, she ran again in Phoenix, cutting nearly 40 minutes off her time. When a later race ended early after a torn ligament, she stayed at the finish line to cheer on a friend completing her first race.

“I’ve been told my whole life that this disease won’t define me,” Hanson says. “I still believe that.”

Outside of work and volunteering, Hanson reads widely and often, moving through dozens of books each year. She travels when she can, drawn to new places and perspectives. She speaks with pride about her family, especially her role as an aunt, and about the importance of continuing to grow alongside the people she loves.

When she reflects on “One Drury,” Hanson sees a throughline that has followed her well beyond graduation. Campus gave her a place to begin again. Connection showed her what was possible. Community is what she continues to build.

“You don’t really realize it at the time,” she says, “but those years are the foundation of who you will become.”

What began as a second chance has become something more enduring — a way of moving through the world, shaped by the people who believed in her and the place that gave her room to become who she continues to grow into.

Dr. Regina Waters poses with, and hugs, Hanson at this year’s Fusion Day.