Presented by
With a record 30,770 students on KU campuses this year and hundreds of departments, organizations, offices and clubs, navigating your first year of college can be overwhelming. Sarah Coury and the Hawk Link program help students navigate those challenges, ensuring they access the support and resources needed to succeed.
Coury first came to KU as a graduate student, earning a master’s degree in music therapy in 2013. After a decade as a board-certified music therapist, Coury was ready for a change and pursued a career in higher education.
She credits a connection made on the KU Mentoring+ platform for helping her through the job search process. A meeting with Howard Graham, g’09 PhD’20, Senior Director of Career and Professional Development at the KU Alumni Association, helped her review her resume and cover letter.
“It was really exciting to have somebody connected to the university show that he cared,” says Coury. “He took 20 minutes out of his day to meet with this person he’d never heard of before.” Her first interview at KU followed soon after, and in March 2024, Coury joined Hawk Link as a Hawk Link Coordinator.
Hawk Link provides support and connection to Jayhawks across the KU Lawrence, Edwards and online campuses. While their services are open to anyone, they focus on first-generation, transfer, Pell-eligible and Haskell/KU exchange students. While other student support programs like TRIO are federally funded, Hawk Link is funded by an endowment, with no size limits or application required.
No two days are the same for a Hawk Link Coordinator. Each day, Coury meets with students who have a variety of needs, but often connected by a common theme.
“I think the big one is students finding their own voice and being confident in asking for help, especially freshman students that have just moved out of their home,” says Coury. “They think that they’re expected to know everything.” Instead, Hawk Link teaches them what questions to ask, when to ask them and who to ask them to. “It’s so important because that’s how you’re going to navigate through the next four or five, however many years.”
When the students find that voice, the results follow. Thanks in part to programs like Hawk Link, KU’s freshman retention rate reached a record-high 86.5% in fall 2024. As a former First-Gen and Pell-Eligible student, Coury sees that impact firsthand.
“Seeing students return after a tough semester, welcoming me, smiling and saying, ‘I’m here! I made it!’ especially when they struggled. That’s what fills my cup.”
Walk into the first floor of Summerfield Hall, and you can’t miss the Hawk Link Nest. Home to the Hawk Link offices, students fill the lobby in front of the offices studying, socializing or meeting with Hawk Link Coordinators. A student employee is also on hand to answer their peers’ questions.
“The student employees are really our driving force here,” says Coury. “It helps the students coming in to know there’s students here that are welcoming and engaging to get them the services or the help they need.”
Other programs include the Haskell/KU Exchange program, which allows students at either KU or Haskell Indian Nations University to take classes on either campus, and Jayhawk JumpStart, which Coury will lead this fall. The program welcomes first-generation or Pell-eligible freshman students to the Lawrence campus five days early to meet peers and faculty, visit campus resources and get comfortable with the college experience, which can be overwhelming and isolating to some.
Coury describes how the goal of building community drives Hawk Link. “If we can get some of these first-generation students making friends before classes even start, it’s only going to keep them more connected and keep them here where they don’t want to leave campus because they have already built a community.”
Hawk Link also serves as a community-builder on the KU department side, with collaborative events supporting their common goal of supporting student success.
Last semester, over 400 students attended Fuel Up for Finals with Hawk Link and KU Libraries offering build-your-own finals survival kits. This semester Hawk Link, Student Union Activities (SUA) and International Support Services (ISS) are hosting International Student Night at a KU women’s basketball game on February 18.
“We’re trying to get the word out to more people to get students engaged,” says Coury. “While they’re here on campus, it’s so important that they find community and networking, and that is done through programming. Because if you just have one friend that says, ‘Hey, let’s go to the SUA event,’ then they’re not going by themselves. You have to get out of your room. You have to get out of your comfort zone. You can’t just sit and wait.”
Coury embraces the daily challenges that come with guiding students through a large university like KU.
“I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” says Coury. “I love this job, I love being on campus. To go from student to now staff is really rewarding because I get to be with the students all day and watch them thrive and succeed.”
Coury recently decided to further her own education as well. She applied for KU’s doctorate in higher education administration program for the fall semester.
“I don’t have a specific goal except to keep helping students. I want to keep being an advocate for their needs, in whatever form that looks like, and I think with the doctorate, should I get into the program, it’s only going to help me move up as I continue to find my place here on campus.”
You can learn more about Hawk Link on their website, and follow them on Instagram.
Part of the Stanley family’s community during those tough years, the people dropping off meals and more, were their lifelong friends made at KU. “My time at KU was such a blessing and continues to show up in my life in the most amazing ways,” she added. The Stanley family has recently been spending more time on KU’s campus, specifically the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Taylor, the eldest Stanley daughter, is following in her mother’s footsteps and is committed to play volleyball at KU in 2026. The younger Stanley daughter, Callyn, is now a two-time cancer survivor and a happy and healthy thirteen-year-old.
You can learn more about Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer at www.bradenshope.org.
Montenegro and Croatia
Once we departed from Greece, we set sail to Kotor, Montenegro. We stepped off the ship, engrossed in the beautiful views of rugged peaks mirrored in the bay. Along with our Jayhawk friends, we were whisked away on tuk tuks to explore the town along the Adriatic. We noticed fortified walls we later stepped through to be warped into Kotor’s Old Town. Our young tour guide navigated us along curvy roads past striking views as he entertained us with stories about Kotor’s deep history. We learned about the three sisters who were in love with the same young sailor and saw our guide’s home. Interacting with a local in this capacity was so enjoyable because we got a glimpse of what life looks like in Kotor. We arrived at Porto Montenegro, a secluded portside filled with luxury boutiques, waterside cafes and superyachts. After 30 minutes of speed shopping, we got back on the tuk tuk and took an alternate way back to the ship so that we couldexperience the most sought-after lookout point in Kotor. We followed our tour with a stroll through Old Town, past medieval buildings and charming squares with a freshly baked pastry in hand. The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon took the cake of our time in Kotor!
Our final destination before disembarkation of our ship in Venice was Split, Croatia. As the morning subsided, Split was bustling with energy. Split showed elements of both modern life and Roman ruins. The Riva Promenade couldn’t be missed as we ventured further into the city. The lines of palm trees and benches to rest on and admire the views of the port while savoring Krofnes, fluffy-filled Croatian donuts, were just what we needed after an adventure-filled week. Our favorite details of Split were the hidden courtyards and lively markets.
Our Jayhawks Give Back program is presented in partnership with Andrew Wymore, Senior Realtor with ReeceNichols.
Jayhawks Give Back celebrates ’Hawks who are making a difference in ways big and small. Each quarter, we’ll feature a member of the KU family and their story. If you know a Jayhawk who should be featured in Jayhawks Give Back, let us know!
