终身学习

For Stefanie Munsterman ’14 MBA, ’17 MSL, education was her path out of poverty. 在Mount Mercy大学继续深造使她的非盈利职业目标得以实现。

“I was a first-generation college student, and I had my daughter when I was 19,” shared Stefanie. “I knew getting my graduate degree was going to be incredibly challenging, so I wanted to find something that was a good fit for me.”

Stefanie正在寻找一个可以让她在社会非营利领域工作的项目。 For her, the 工商管理硕士 (MBA) offered practical skills that would advance her career.

“I knew what I learned through my MBA would be immediately applicable,” said Stefanie.

“我知道，我从MBA中学到的东西会立即适用。” 
– Stefanie Munsterman， 14届MBA， 17届MSL

Stefanie在不同的行业工作过，但她的重点一直是改善他人的生活。 She began in psychology—originally thinking she would go further into the field. 然而，Stefanie觉得如果她把精力集中在其他地方，她可以产生更大的影响。

“I wanted to go more on the leadership side to affect more systemic change,” shared Stefanie. “I knew in order to do that I would need credentials to show I know what I’m talking about.”

For Stefanie, the MBA gave her an opportunity to grow her confidence in a variety of skills—including math, a subject she thought she was bad at until her MBA courses. Stefanie began to discover talent she didn’t even know she had.

“Growing up in poverty, you have a limited understanding of what your opportunities might be,” said Stefanie. “来到这里，完成任务，让我的孩子们看到这一切，真是太令人惊讶了。”

Stefanie’s daughters were an important part of her educational journey. 斯蒂芬妮被邀请在毕业典礼上演讲，当她向人群望去时，她看到她的女儿们正在观看。

“It was just extraordinary to have the opportunity to show my daughters that despite life’s challenges, you can do hard things,” said Stefanie.

For Stefanie, returning to Mount Mercy for her 战略领导硕士 (MSL) was a no-brainer.

“There is a huge difference between leaders and managers, and I wanted to live that in my day-to-day work,” shared Stefanie.

在这两个项目中，Stefanie喜欢向她的行业专家教授以及她的同学学习。

“I could bring knowledge from my work into the classroom. I also learned so much from my cohort,” said Stefanie.

Stefanie在Mount Mercy获得的商业和领导力知识对她通过非营利工作影响系统性变革的目标很有用。

斯蒂芬妮于2019年开始在锡达拉皮兹民权委员会工作，担任民权调查员和调解员。 该委员会的目标是调查该市内部的歧视指控。

“We continually push civil rights and human rights forward,” said Stefanie.

2020年3月，Stefanie接任该委员会的执行主任。 除了调查不公正现象外，该委员会还开展了重要的教育推广和社区建设。

“What I consider to be our North Star is helping to build a community of belonging. One in which all residents feel that they can co-create the structures, mechanisms, and policies within our community—that there's a co-agency having that meaningful voice,” Stefanie shared.

Stefanie继续寻找方法来扩展她的领导技能和知识。 作为Mount Mercy的兼职教授，她能够教别人，并继续向学生学习。

Stefanie教授系统思考，解决冲突，并开发了一门新的多样性，公平性和包容性课程。

Stefanie’s advice to current students aligns with Mount Mercy’s value of lifelong learning.

“Always keep learning,” Stefanie encouraged. “带着好奇心参加每一次谈话和每一次机会。”