friday takeout

Amanda Leonard

Center Supervisor | Manchester Center

What childhood experience most impacted your current set of values or your career path?

I wouldn’t say one specific experience impacted my set of values. However, growing up with my parents I can say I definitely got a lot of my values from them. Both of my parents are hard workers and always have been. They impacted my decisions on daily basis growing up and have now shaped me into the person I am today. They have supported me through school and taught me how to work hard. I was, and still am, a full-time college student with a job. It isn’t always easy trying to maintain both, but with the support of my family I know I can do it.

Why did you choose your current profession?

Back in high school I thought I wanted to go into social work. The more I looked into it, the more I decided the career field wasn’t for me. I am too emotional of a person and wouldn’t be able to leave work at work. I did know I still wanted to work with people though, just in a different setting. I am also a very organized person and enjoy the different aspects of business. By putting people and business together, you basically get my profession.

What is your greatest achievement and how has it shaped you?

Graduating college with my associate’s degree in Human Resource Management has been my greatest achievement so far. I am currently working towards my bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, which will then become my greatest achievement. Graduating college is already a big accomplishment, but trying to manage everything else at the same time is another. This has taught me time management, how to prioritize and how to balance a busy life. It will prove to be beneficial because life always seems to be busy.

What is the favorite part of your job or workday at the College?

I am still fairly new to Northeast Iowa Community College and, therefore, have done a lot of trainings recently. I have had the opportunity to travel to other centers, meet the staff and see how they do things there. Being able to meet all the new people has been my favorite part of my job so far.

Do you believe that more technology in the classroom or in the world is helping students learn? If yes (or “no, it isn’t”), why?

I think, in many situations, technology in the classroom benefits students. I am currently working on my bachelor’s degree completely online. It gives me the flexibility to have a job during the day and work on my classes after work, when it’s convenient for me and my schedule. I also took college classes in high school and used Iowa Communications Network (ICN) equipment because the instructor was at a different location. In those types of situations, I think technology is great and helps students succeed and push past certain barriers. However, there are other situations where technology can have a negative effect. If a student doesn’t understand how to use the technology, they could fall behind. I think it really depends on the situation and what the technology is being used for.