Outcome 5 - Demonstrate that they have been and will continue to be a lifelong learner.

My artifacts demonstrating this outcome (What?)

http://www.geocities.com/stephannie.delong/StephannieDeLongResume.doc

http://www.geocities.com/stephannie.delong/WinterStudentPressRelease2008.doc

http://www.winfieldks.org/documents/Chamber%20of%20Commerce/Leadership%20CC%202008/With%20Lt%20Gov0001.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/stephannie.delong/DeLongUndergradThesisOutcome5.doc

http://www.geocities.com/stephannie.delong/DeLong_LeadershipProject2009.doc

My Reflection on meeting this outcome (So What?)

The first artifact is my resume which documents my educational and career related goals, objectives and history. My resume reflects my goals to attain my bachelor's and master's degrees as well as my desire to have a fulfilling and rewarding career. Being a lifelong learner is about more than simply taking classes; on the job experiences can provide as much training sometimes as classroom settings and seminars. Formal eduction can impart theories, methods and examples but real life experiences help reinforce those examples. Taken together, my education and work experience demonstrate my commitment to learning and growing in both my personal and professional life.

The second artifact demonstrates my attendance at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management in 2008. This four year program trains chamber executives on non-profit management, budgeting, committee management, community relations and other essential functions of chamber work. Upon completing my first year at Institute I brought back information, best practices and implemented important changes to two of my committees at the Chamber. I also continued to correspond with my classmates, both offering and accepting help on common issues and situations throughout the year.

The third artifact represents my attendance and graduation from Leadership Cowley County 2008. This three month program brings together community members, business professionals and up and coming young professionals to help hone their leadership skills. We attended legislative sessions, met state representatives, worked through real life situations and attended lectures all related to leadership. This program is an essential part of our community leadership development and an important step in my career.

My fourth artifact represents the culmination of my undergraduate studies at Southwestern College. This paper demonstrates two years of work as a history major. My research on Esther Morris, female suffragette, produced surprising results even to my professors. We learned that the layers of her story were intermingled with politics, sexism and even a certain amount of racism. The many layers of this story unfolded in such a way that I realized that sometimes there are more than even two sides to every tale. Though the research and paper have been finalized for some time now, I continue to remain fascinated and interested in her story and in the study of the past. Understanding where we have been in history not only teaches us how we have gotten to the present, but where we plan to go in the future. This artifact will continue to be an important representation of my educational experience.

My final artifact demonstrates what I have learned as a result of my Leadership Project for my final MBA Course. Young Professionals of Winfield is the project I chose to utilize for this project and I believe that it not only represents a prior learning goal but since it is a continuing project it is also part of my future learning goals and demonstrates that I plan to be a lifelong learner. I believe that every project presents a learning opportunity and that if I take what I learned from a prior project and apply it to each new situation or scenario I can enhance the results of future projects as well. The applications I learned from The Leadership Challenge Workbook have not only enhanced the Young Professionals of Winfield project but they have also enhanced my relationship with my co-worker and my overall leadership skills as well.

My Future Learning Goals related to this outcome (Now What?)

My immediate future learning goals include attending the 2009 session of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management and the 2009 YP Summit. In addition to attending these seminars I also plan to take on new challenges within my organization. Having lost our CEO to a new opportunity I have chosen to apply for her job. I feel that I have the experience and education to do the job well, but also that I can bring a fresh perspective to the position. As a young professional I believe that I can bridge the generation gap between some of our community leaders and our up and coming young business professionals, leading to enhanced community involvement and sustainability. Working with business leaders and community leaders in this new role would provide an excellent opportunity for me to grow personally and professionally as well. I also hope that my fresh perspective can provide the Chamber with new revenue opportunities and community outreach activities.

My long-term goals for being a lifelong learner include taking any opportunities for career training and advancement as they come as well as hopefully fulfilling the CEO role for the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce. I do not currently have plans to continue my formal education and complete a PhD, but I am open to the possibility if it arises. I think that the most important thing I can do to remain a lifelong learner is to be open to new experiences and opportunities. Some of the best things that have happened in my life have come out of my willingness to try something new and uncharted. They have provided excellent learning and growth and I hope to continue both personally and professionally.