共同的领导之路

Shannon Raap ’25 MSL and Jackie Vangilder ’25 are not only co-workers, they’re cohorts in educational advancement and leadership development.

他们都在锡达拉皮兹的柯林斯航空公司工作，但他们的故事始于2000年，当时他们一起在Alliant能源公司工作。 从一开始，他们的目标就是一起攻读学位。 他们首先在柯克伍德社区学院（Kirkwood Community College）获得了AA（副学士学位），从那里开始，他们都把目光投向了Mount Mercy大学，攻读人力资源管理和商业管理的文学学士学位。

为了成为更强大的领导者，他们都决定继续深造，在柯林斯航空公司全职工作的同时，在Mount Mercy大学攻读战略领导硕士学位。

“I wanted a program that would help me grow not only professionally, but also as a leader who can make a meaningful impact within my team and organization,” Jackie recalled.

“I was a new leader at the time,” Shannon added, “so the MSL degree provided me the opportunity to discover tools and skills that I needed to be successful in my role.”

But what stood out the most about the MSL degree to both Shannon and Jackie was the opportunity to become stronger leaders together—holding one another accountable and motivating each other along the way.

Jackie described it as having a “built-in support system.” 她说，这个项目无论如何都不容易，但在朋友的不断鼓励和支持下，它变得容易多了。 他们会一起做项目，提出明确的问题，练习演讲，朝着同一个目标合作。

香农和杰基并不是柯林斯公司唯一两名一起参加这个项目的员工。 Another coworker completed her MSL alongside them, and yet another joined them in a few graduate courses while completing her bachelor’s degree as part of the 皇冠体育 Plus program.

“By developing a group, we were able to push each other when needed,” Shannon explained. “It was helpful to know I always had someone who would help me when I was frustrated or remind me of an upcoming project.”

While completing their master’s, both women have taken on new leadership roles at Collins Aerospace. Shannon目前担任测试设备高级经理，Jackie担任采购部门高级分析师。

“During my time at Mount Mercy, I went from an individual contributor to a senior supervisor, to a manager, to now a senior manager,” Shannon said. “Having a master’s degree set me up for this continued growth and prepared me to be successful.”

“Having a master’s degree set me up for this continued growth and prepared me to be successful.” —Shannon Raap '25 MSL

Although Shannon and Jackie don’t directly work together at Collins, they still reach out to each other for support when needed. When asked if they would recommend co-workers going through this program together, Shannon and Jackie both said “yes” without hesitation. 团队的力量帮助他们取得了成功。

香农和杰基解释了他们是如何一起工作的，他们觉得自己可以完成任何事情。

For those looking to pursue a master’s degree in business at 皇冠体育, Jackie offers some advice.

“Just do it!” she stated. “Mount Mercy does an amazing job of supporting students to balance their educational goals, work life, and home life, making it possible to succeed on all fronts.”