Since graduating from Dickinson State University, Avery Hanson has continued building a future shaped by the same passion that first brought her to campus: agriculture. Now working with the North Dakota Soybean Council, she is already leading international trade work and reconnecting with industry partners she first met as a student.
Hanson grew up surrounded by agriculture on both sides of her family and said she always knew the industry would be part of her life. Choosing DSU was an easy decision.
“I knew I was going to get a degree in ag, and I chose Dickinson right out the gate because it provided me a quality education and was close to home,” she said. “I didn’t even apply to one other school.”
While completing her Agriculture and Technical Studies degree, Hanson appreciated DSU’s emphasis on hands-on, practical experience tailored to western North Dakota and eastern Montana. She said the program prepared her well for real-world work.
“I felt that I could walk out of school and have a pretty good idea about most aspects of running a successful operation within our region,” she said. “The program is filled with good people. Students and staff alike. That’s the bottom line.”
Hanson found her stride through the Ag Club, where faculty encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone. With support from professors including Chip Poland, she began helping plan and fundraise for an international agriculture trip to Japan. She eventually led the yearlong fundraising and logistics effort with fellow students Victoria Moreno and Nathan Unruh, with key support from DSU’s Japanese Outreach Initiative coordinator, Shunsuke Aoki.
Her favorite part of the trip, she said, was the time spent with classmates.
“These are people who made an 11-hour plane ride fun,” she said. “Life is about the people you share it with, and that trip was no different.”
The impact of the trip reached even further. When Hanson returned to Japan this fall for her job with North Dakota Soybean, she met with representatives from the United States Soybean Export Council and the USDA Agricultural Affairs Office, the same individuals she met as a DSU student.
“They even remembered me and our group,” she said. “That made my whole trip.”
Her relationship with the North Dakota Soybean Council began when the Ag Club reached out for fundraising support. After presenting at a board meeting in Fargo, Hanson was offered a position with the organization.
“One day after we presented, Stephanie Sinner reached out to Chip and told him she had a job for me,” she said. “It was another full circle moment.”
Now, Hanson is preparing to lead the council’s trade mission to Vietnam and Thailand in early 2026, something she once never imagined herself doing.
Hanson credits DSU with helping her develop the confidence and direction she needed. She entered college still processing the loss of her father and unsure of her place in the agriculture world. Her professors, especially Poland and the late Toby Stroh, played a major role in helping her find her footing.
“I had professors, mentors and an entire community that believed in me, and they taught me to believe in myself,” she said. “DSU is lucky to have a staff that cares so much about students and their lives.”
For current students, Hanson encourages involvement and openness to new opportunities.
“You never know what opportunities await you,” she said. “The smallest step can open a door you didn’t even know was there.”
She said the DSU Agriculture and Technical Studies Department became a home away from home and shaped her life in ways she could have never predicted.
“The department paved the way for valuable, life-changing opportunities and experiences that were not even within my wildest imagination,” she said.
From stepping off the ranch and into the classroom to leading international agricultural work, Hanson is using the skills and experience she gained at DSU to make an impact in the industry she has always loved.