Shannon has been passionate about animals all of her life. Growing up on a farm she got to work hands on with various large animals from a young age. She also brought home all of the stray animals that she could as a child and nursed the sick or injured ones back to health. At 4 years old, she told her Mom that when she grew up she was going to work at a zoo. She has never not had animals in her life and has been the caregiver to many species over the years. Currently she has 2 cats, a parakeet and a veiled chameleon.
She is married and a mother to 4 amazing children and spent most of her adult life being a stay at home mom. Once her children started to become independent, she decided it was her time to go back to school. She graduated from Ultimate Medical Academy in 2018 with a degree in Medical Billing and Coding and went on to work on her Bachelor’s in health care administration, but realized that she was just not passionate about the human heathcare industry. She made the switch and enrolled in a Veterinary Technician program which she is still pursuing. She came to The Animal Behavior Center as a volunteer as part of her program, and stayed on after she completed her required hours for school and she has no plans to ever stop volunteering at the center. She assists with various tasks at the center from cleaning to feeding the resident birds to making enrichment as well.
She is currently working as a zoo keeper where she cares for all reptiles and primates daily. Giving zoo volunteers direction, she inspires others through responsible and correct care.