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| Shannon provides HIV testing at an event in Jonesboro. |
Shannon is a Service Access Specialist in Jonesboro and is
also a District Supervisor for our Ryan White team. She works with clients to connect them to care
and community resources available through the Ryan White program and offers HIV
testing at events throughout the year.
Shannon has always been interested in studying people. She graduated from Ohio State with a degree in sociology and, after working for over a decade in retail management, she jumped at the chance to work with those living with HIV and put her degree to use. “I have loved it ever since,” she said.
In her daily work, Shannon meets with clients, makes phone calls, schedules appointments, and makes sure her staff has what they need. To describe a typical work day in her own words, it means “being a superhuman.” Shannon is inspired to become that superhuman through remembering her mother’s perseverance: “My mom was a single mother who raised two kids while completing a college degree and working full time. She started out as a dispatcher and worked her way up to district manager in a cable business. She can do anything and she knows everything.”
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| Shannon joins our PrEP Coordinator, Kyle, at an outreach event for the Hispanic community called El Centro. |
She also finds support from connections to those around her.
The Positive Connections team has experienced significant loss over the past
few years, especially with the passing of two coworkers with whom Shannon had a
close working relationship; Vonda and Christy.
When asked what her favorite memory from work was, she says “driving to
our annual retreat with Vonda and Christy. We could talk for hours about
anything.”
As a hobby, Shannon loves to cook. She says that if she were not working as a case manager with ARcare, she’d want to be a chef. When she has 30 minutes of free time, she’s watching cooking shows or on social media learning and sharing about cooking. In fact, Shannon regularly shares photos and videos of her adventures in cooking on Instagram. You can check them out here: @fat_girl_chef.
When she isn’t busy working or cooking, she also likes to travel. She says that New York is her “favorite place on earth. I love the history, the people, and attitude…and the bright lights.”
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| For fun, Shannon shares cooking photos and videos with her Instagram followers. |
Quick Facts about
Shannon:
Weirdest Job:
Truck Broker
One Thing She Can’t Resist: DIET COKE
Greatest Fear: That I have no purpose. I’m just here taking up space and not contributing.
Favorite Movie Line: “Son, you have a panty on your head.” –from Raising Arizona
One Thing She’d Like
to Learn: How to sing
Famous Person She
Would Like To Have Met: Eleanor
Roosevelt
When asked what words she would use to describe Positive Connections, she said “helpful, supportive, knowledgeable.”
Thank you, Shannon, for the support you offer
to our clients and patients at ARcare Positive Connections.
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Shannon is a Service Access Specialist in our Jonesboro Service Access Center. She participates in outreach and testing activities in and around the Jonesboro area and is available to meet with people living with HIV to connect them to care and support available through the Ryan White program. Shannon may be reached here.
Positive Connections is a program at ARcare connecting the community to HIV prevention, treatment and empowerment. We believe in a future vision with zero new HIV transmissions and where every person living with or affected by HIV can thrive. You can learn more about the Positive Connections Program here.
