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In a world that can feel divided, South ��ֱ���� State University School of Communication and Journalism graduate Annika Hanson chose to focus on what brings people together. 
 
Her master’s project, rooted in empathy and connection, helped ��ֱ���� Prairie Elementary School in Brookings earn the title of Certified Kindness School, a first for the community.
 
Hanson, a Hugo, Minnesota, native who earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication studies with minors in human development and family studies and health communication in 2023 and her Master of Arts in communication and media studies in 2025, both from SDSU, was a substitute teacher the past two years, which influenced her project.
 
She decided to make an impact by collaborating with the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation to complete a kindness challenge. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a nonprofit aiming to inspire and empower individuals, businesses, schools and communities to spread kindness.
 
Through educational resources, certifications, collaborations and kindness initiatives, the foundation works to create change. 
 
During her time as an undergraduate, Hanson created connections that played a role in shaping the project. One of those connections, Carleen Holm, was especially monumental in getting the project going.
 
Holm is a counselor at ��ֱ���� Prairie Elementary and a ’93 alum of SDSU. She gives social emotional lessons at the school, something that interested Hanson in pursuing a collaboration with Holm and ��ֱ���� Prairie.
 
“I knew I wanted to surround it with something working with children,” Hanson explained. “I was also a mentor for the Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program, and seeing the daily impact that program makes for children was another big reason I wanted to find a project that could make an impact.”
 
Inspired by her experiences mentoring youth and her desire to create meaningful impact, Hanson developed a hands-on learning experience that would resonate with elementary students.
 
“I structured my resources around three key principles: observe, communicate and participate,” Hanson said. “Using these guiding concepts, I designed an activity that allowed students to first observe acts of kindness, then engage in discussions about their observations and the impact kindness had in the video, and finally, take part in their own act of kindness.”

That culminating act focused on the power of positive messages and how they can create ripple effects within a community. To expand the reach of these messages beyond the school walls, Hanson sought out local partnerships.
 
Kool Beans, a Brookings coffee shop, donated coffee sleeves for students to decorate with uplifting, encouraging messages. These sleeves were then distributed to customers during Random Acts of Kindness Week in February.
 
In addition to this community-facing activity, students also wrote kind messages on sticky notes and placed them on lockers throughout the school building.
 
“Through this activity, they actively practiced kindness, building confidence, self-efficacy and a sense of community,” Hanson said. “By the end of the school day, multiple students expressed excitement about continuing acts of kindness because of how it made them feel and how they saw it impact others.”
 
What started as a simple classroom lesson on kindness quickly spread excitement throughout the school hallways and beyond.
 
“They had so much fun decorating and taking pride in spreading a positive message that someone anonymous would read,” Holm said. “One student asked if there was a way to guarantee her mom seeing what she created if they went to Kool Beans.”
 
Hanson said it is hard to put into words what this project has meant to her. “This project was incredibly impactful and meaningful to me at all levels.” 
 
“A project like this can have a significant impact on the entire school district and community,” Hanson added. “Introducing and fostering discussions about kindness is essential — every meaningful change begins with a first step. This project not only brings the conversation into the classroom but also initiates a lasting movement of kindness within the school and beyond.”
 
Hanson’s story is a powerful reminder that kindness isn’t just a concept — it’s a catalyst for change.