This May, as graduates across Iowa turned their tassels to mark the close of one chapter and the beginning of another, Central Community High School alumna Christi Shaw returned to her alma mater, Iowa State University, to reflect on the experiences that shaped her own journey. From growing up on a farm near Elkader to leading global healthcare organizations, Shaw shared the lessons of growth, resilience and perseverance that guided each chapter of her life.

Reflecting on her time at Central, Shaw shared, “Some of my favorite memories are the simple ones—playing basketball and softball, school activities, community events, friendships and the farm chores that have lasting stories behind them.”

“Growing up in a small community gave me a strong sense of belonging and support. It also taught me the importance of relationships and helping others,” Shaw said of the values she carried with her long after graduating from Central.

Shaw opened her speech by illustrating the lessons she learned through farming and agriculture, recalling experiences tending to animals, fixing fences, pulling corn and beans and even spreading manure. She then shared her experience with one of the first jobs many Iowa teenagers have: detasseling corn.

On one hot August day, she recalled, the machine broke, leaving workers to finish the job by hand.

“I decided I was going to sit down in the middle of the cornfield and cry because it was hard, because it felt endless, and because I didn’t think I could keep going,” Shaw said. “Then something happened that I will never forget. The people working alongside me, after they finished their rows, came back for me to help me finish mine.”

The experience, she said, taught her that “growth isn’t glamorous. It requires grit. Growth is hard. Growth is messy. And sometimes you don’t get through it alone.”

As the first person in her family to attend college, Shaw said her path wasn’t always clear. She worked multiple jobs while attending Iowa State, including waiting tables, working in the cafeteria, teaching fitness classes and serving as a pharmacy technician while pursuing a career in healthcare.

“I was figuring it out as I went,” she said.

Looking back, Shaw said Iowa taught her one of life’s most enduring lessons: “You can do everything right and the harvest still isn’t guaranteed. You can prepare, work hard and do your part, but still you face conditions that are out of your control. That lesson applies to agriculture, but it also applies to life.”

After graduating from Iowa State, Shaw moved to Oshkosh, Wis., to begin her first job as a pharmaceutical sales representative.

“This was before the internet or smartphones; I didn’t know a soul,” Shaw said. “I used the phone book to find my customers and primary care physicians, and after three months I saw every one of them and told them all about my products.”

Believing she had done everything she could, Shaw asked her manager what to do next.

“He said, ‘You do it again,’ and laughed. That moment taught me something important. Just because you say something doesn’t mean it lands or is remembered. Results require consistency, from building trust, from showing up again and again.”

Those experiences, along with many others throughout her life, shaped the three truths about growth that became the foundation of her commencement address: growth is uncomfortable, growth is uneven and some of the most important growth is invisible.

To illustrate her first point, Shaw reflected on leading Kite during the COVID-19 pandemic. As flights stopped and borders closed, patients still depended on receiving life-saving therapies, making the company’s work increasingly urgent. The challenge became personal, she said, because her own sister was receiving therapy at the time.

Although she wasn’t a scientist or supply chain expert, Shaw said she was responsible for leading through uncertainty.

“Growth is uncomfortable because life is going to ask you to lead before you feel ready, to make decisions without perfect clarity and to carry responsibilities when the stakes are high,” she said. “But the most important moments like those are the ones that shape you the most.”

Shaw’s second lesson centered on the reality that effort and outcomes don’t always align. She shared an experience from her time at Johnson & Johnson, where despite earning the highest performance rating possible, she was encouraged to pursue another role because she hadn’t built the level of trust needed within the leadership team.

“Intent and impact are not always the same. Sometimes, even when you work hard and perform well, things still don’t work out the way you had hoped. But I also learned something equally important: not every environment is meant for you. Not every culture is where you will thrive. Sometimes growth comes from staying and walking through difficult situations, and sometimes growth comes from having the courage to leave.”

Finally, Shaw described what she called one of the most personal experiences of her life: stepping away from an executive position to become a full-time caregiver for her sister after already losing both of her parents.

“I wasn’t stepping down from something. I was actually stepping into a new chapter of growth,” she said.

The experience gave her a firsthand view of the uncertainty and emotional weight families face. It inspired her and her sister to co-found the More Moments, More Memories Foundation to help patients access clinical trials.

Shaw told graduates that some of life’s most meaningful impact happens “person to person, human to human, not because of a title, but because you chose to truly show up for someone in need.”

Today, Shaw’s career has focused on helping bring innovative medicines and therapies to patients, particularly in areas like cancer and serious diseases.

“Much of my work has involved leading teams that combine science, research and business to improve and extend lives,” she said. “At the center of it all are patients and families who are looking for hope.”

Although her career has taken her far beyond northeast Iowa, Shaw said the values she learned growing up in rural Iowa have remained constant throughout her life.

“The Iowa values of resilience, practicality, kindness and work ethic have shaped every stage of my life,” she said. “In Iowa, people care less about titles and more about whether you show up, work hard and treat people well. That mindset grounded me even while working in global leadership roles. I’ve always tried to lead with authenticity and remember where I came from.”

Those values became especially meaningful when Shaw stepped away from her career to become a caregiver for her sister, an experience she said permanently changed her perspective on leadership and success.

“That experience changed me profoundly,” she said. “It reminded me that success is not only about achievement or career milestones, but also about relationships, presence and compassion. Going through caregiving deepened my empathy and reinforced the importance of leading with humanity.”

Shaw continues to return to northeast Iowa several times each year through her role on Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business advisory board, often combining those visits with trips home.

“I still have strong ties to Iowa and always appreciate the chance to return,” she said. “There’s something about northeast Iowa that immediately feels like home. The pace, the people and the sense of community are very grounding.”

Looking back on the journey she shared with graduates, Shaw hopes students from rural communities recognize that the values they learn at home are among their greatest strengths.

“I would want them to know they do not need to change who they are to succeed,” she said. “Growing up in a rural community can actually be a tremendous advantage because it teaches resilience, work ethic, adaptability and humility. Those qualities matter in every field and can take you farther than you might imagine.”