Life Experience & Action Dimension (LEAD)

Life Experience and Action Dimension (LEAD) LEAD is one element of Champlain’s required curriculum that spans all four years of your Champlain College education and gives you the tools you need for personal growth in three areas: engaged citizenship, lifelong career management and financial sophistication.

Getting Started: To prepare for LEAD, you will need to complete your Career Profile on JobSpot and a financial literacy survey before Orientation in the fall. The Career Profile on JobSpot, Champlain’s online career management platform and job board will be your go-to resource for finding employment and internship opportunities while you are a student and beyond, while the financial survey will help us plot a baseline for our future programming. New incoming students will receive detailed information over the summer.

Year 1:	Engaged Citizenship and Financial Sophistication
Get Involved! As a first-year student, you are required to participate in at least one community service or engaged citizen opportunity. Examples include the following: Cook a meal at the Ronald McDonald House Mentor a child as part of the DREAM program Get a feel for what it’s like to be homeless by taking part in our Tent City experience Participate in a cultural simulation Propose an activity of your own
Start Early with Financial Sophistication! You will have a Financial Sophistication requirement each year at Champlain. While students are welcome to choose from a menu of workshops, online and in-person, the suggested first-year workshops include: Attend the “Game of Life” event which simulates “real world” expenses and personal income. Attend Check-It-Out, a workshop that teaches you how to compare savings and checking account products from different banks. Budget and Goal Setting Workshops Understanding Credit Workshops
Year 2:	Lifelong Career Management and Financial Sophistication
Start Thinking Strategically! Attend Sophomore Symposium in the fall, a conference-style program with a professional keynote speaker and breakout sessions on Lifelong Career Management topics Learn how to strategically market yourself by attending a workshop with students in your major, facilitated by the Career Advisor for your division or develop a plan for achieving your career aspirations to be discussed with your Faculty Advisor.
Continue your Financial Sophistication! Continue to develop basic financial literacy skills by participating in at least one financial workshop: managing a budget, buying a car, paying back student loans, understanding benefits in a job offer, and more.
Year 3:	Lifelong Career Management and Financial Sophistication
Follow Your Goals! Expand your ability to build your career by choosing from many professional workshops-social networking, online job research, interviewing skills, cover letters, etc. Expand on your basic financial literacy skills through in-person seminars and online activities listed above.
Year 4:	Financial Assessment
How Did We Do? End your LEAD program by taking the financial literacy assessment again. This assessment is not graded, but helps us understand how LEAD is doing in teaching the broad subject of Financial Sophistication.

Since LEAD is part of Champlain’s required integrated curriculum, students must complete all required elements in order to register for the next semester’s courses.

LEAD questions and concerns should be directed to Jen Sweeney at (802) 383-6608 or jsweeney@champlain.edu.