Meet Hana Johnson: Recruitment Coordinator

Educational and professional background

Hana Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations at K-State’s A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications and completed a master’s degree in higher education from Northwestern University in Illinois. Hana’s impactful experience with her sorority (Kappa Kappa Gamma) during her time as an undergraduate student at K-State inspired her to pursue a career in higher education. Prior to her role at the CVM, she served as a Leadership Consultant for her sorority’s headquarters, and even lived in a fraternity house as a house director while in graduate school. She also served as a liaison between student chapters and university services.

“I did that for six years in total and then decided it was time to make a transition,” Hana says. “I really loved my admissions and enrollment management classes in grad school, so when I saw the job posting for my current role, I felt like it was time to make a move.”

Objectives and Goals

A favorite role for Hana is managing the student ambassadors, where she has made some changes to the program, including building leadership development, increasing competencies in diversity and inclusion, and improving team dynamics.

“I want their experience as student ambassadors to not only be something they enjoy and something that helps them earn a paycheck, but also to be an experience they can look back in 10 years and say, ‘I learned these skills from that experience to help me manage a team in practice, or that helps me somehow be a better veterinarian in the future,’” Hana says.

For recruitment as a whole, Hana has two main goals: to create better relationships with institutions that may get overlooked in the recruitment process for veterinary medicine (or schools that aren’t always the first to come to mind when considering top veterinary candidates), and to help students feel better equipped to navigate the admissions process.

“I am of the mindset that if I can meet with a student and help them understand how to navigate the application process, how to get to veterinary school, whether they choose K-State or not, if they have a clear understanding of how to get there and how to pursue their dream, how to be a stronger applicant, then I’ve done my job well,” Hana said. “That reflects well on K-State and the college, even if they don’t end up coming here. I want to be someone who people can lean on in the application process to get where they need to go.”

What is special about K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine?

Hana says it’s the students that truly make K-State’s CVM a special place. Her interactions with the ambassadors are her gateway to the student experience, which she shares with prospective students.

“They’re a funny bunch, they’re great, their senses of humor are great, and they all bring different strengths to the table,” Hana said. “I’m very grateful to work with them.”

And, of course, the efforts of faculty to create a unique learning environment where students are equipped to succeed make the CVM special too, she says.

“This is a place that provides an education for students that allows them to go anywhere and do anything,” Hana said. “While we might not necessarily ‘see our name in lights,’ the way in which we educate our students and the way in which we provide a learning environment for students – that helps them succeed, and that’s something that is incredibly valuable.”