Name: Kelly Kirkland
Job title, department: Instructional Designer, Gertrude C. Ford Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL)
What does this award mean to you? Being awarded Employee of the Month makes me feel appreciated and valued. It is such an honor to be recognized for my work, dedication, and contributions to the university.
What do you like best about your job? What I enjoy most is knowing that I am having a positive impact on the success of our faculty and students. I am often contacted by faculty and students when they are having technical issues or need guidance with their Canvas courses. I try my best to resolve the issues as quickly as possible and let them know I am always happy to assist.
What do you like best about Delta State? My favorite thing about working at Delta State is the people I get to work with. Having friendly, supportive, and collaborative people to work with day-to-day contributes to a great work environment. I have been able to build life-long friendships because of DSU.
What do you like best about living in the Mississippi Delta? Other than being born and raised here, I really enjoy the musical culture of the Mississippi Delta. I recently took a music course at DSU and for my final project, I chose to visit makers on the Blues Trail. That was an eye-opening adventure that I got to share with my family as we traveled along the trail.
Something most people don’t know about you? Something most people don’t know about me is that I was homeschooled from grades 9-12. This was back before everything was online. I actually had to take paper tests and mail them to the school and wait for them to be mailed back. I believe that experience may have been a motivating factor in my career path with online education.
