Shannon was unhappy at college and decided to take a leap of faith and pursue the most unsuspecting (and downright dangerous) career path...
Unhappy With Her Degree
During the first semester of her senior year at Elmhurst College, Shannon realized that she wasn't thrilled with the idea of using her marketing degree to work in an office for the rest of her life. She felt panicked about pursuing a career she didn't want...
She Was Deeply In Debt
Shannon hadn't gotten much scholarship money from the school, and she was starting to question if all this was even worth it if she was also going to be crippled by debt for years. She didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, and she didn't know if staying in college was the right answer...
She Had Lots of Hobbies That Made Her Happy
To escape from the stress of school, she spent a lot of time outdoors. She loved exercising, riding horses, and going on runs. She noticed that she was happiest when she wasn't at school studying marketing or crunching numbers...
She Was Having a Change of Heart
The less time she spent at school, the more she realized she wanted to explore other options. She went back to her dorm and thought long and hard about a new game plan. She had lots of friends at school, but what would happen after graduation? She'd have a job she hated and they'd all be apart, so she started doing some research...
A Tight Circle
Shannon loved her friends, and when she told them she was considering dropping out of school, they supported her decision. They'd miss her, but if she was truly unhappy, she had to follow her heart. Shannon was ready to tell them what her plan was...
A Budding Modeling Career
Shannon decided to apply for a job as a Maxim model. She figured it would be a long shot, but she was ready to take the leap and move on from marketing. Nothing was worse than this. She anxiously waited to hear back from the company...
Maxim's Newest Model
Against all odds, Shannon had won the job with Maxim on her first try. Though she had little experience, the photographers loved her look and confidence. She'd need a lot of it if she was going to break into the industry and put all her energy into a sudden career switch...
A Lavish Life
Her job with Maxim launched her towards another campaign: Loop Rock. Shannon was able to earn the top spot as a Loop Rock Girl, which is the equivalent of a brand ambassador. She was the new face of the company, seemingly overnight...
A Natural Talent
Shannon was exactly the right fit to represent The Loop. The photographers and fans loved her, she was making enough money to pay off her loans, and she was making connections that would lead her to a bigger career in runway...
A Permanent Feature
Loop Rock operates on a yearly contract with its models, but Shannon's campaign was so successful that they asked her to stay on. How could she say no? This was the opportunity of a lifetime, and she knew she'd be a fool to pass it up...
A Multi-Talented Model
Once Loop Rock signed her for another year, they started sending her out on more adventurous shoots out of the studio. She made appearances at local sporting events and signed autographs for young girls who looked up to her. She started to realize another direction that she wanted to take her career in...
A Sports Magazine Centerfold
Shannon was a hot commodity in the sports media market. She started to drift away from fashion photography and began working with sports magazines. She had the face and the attitude that a Sports Illustrated model needed...
A Sudden Breaking Point
Shannon thought her modeling career was on the upswing, but then she had an uncomfortable encounter with a photographer and she began to rethink the whole thing. She went home after a shoot one day to rethink her plans. She felt like she was back to square one...
Back To Her Roots
She still loved the outdoors, and maybe a more physically challenging career was the right move for her. She did some research on options and stumbled across an ad for the Marines. She'd always been intrigued by the Navy and knew she was brave enough for the task. She started to really think about it...
She Was Up To The Task
Shannon decided to start training right away so she could show up to boot camp ready to prove herself. She put modeling on hold and got to work. She spent months running, dead-lifting, and building up her endurance and speed. She wouldn't back down from this challenge...
Mission: Accomplished
After months of hard work, she signed up for boot camp. She was ready to show everyone else that she was more than a pretty face. She'd found other women who were in the same position and quickly made friends. She was nothing but supportive of her fellow soon-to-be Marines...
A Crowd of Skeptics
Shannon's peers were mostly men, and they were skeptical of her place there. They teased her for her previous modeling work because they'd seen her shoots in Maxim, but she wouldn't let them get her down. She was ready to overcome any obstacle and prove them all wrong...
She Beat The Odds
Despite everyone's criticisms, Shannon beat the odds and became a Marine. She'd never been more proud of herself. She thought she'd accomplished a lot by winning modeling gigs, but this felt like a much bigger deal. She was thrilled!
More Than Qualified
Through her training, Shannon proved she was more than qualified for a spot with the Marines. She refused to let the men in her group get her down. The biggest challenge she faced was overcoming criticism and defying gender norms, but she knew if she stayed strong she could get through anything...
A Mission To Be The Best
“A lot of the Marines initially thought that I might not be able to keep up physically, or that I somehow wasn’t ‘as strong’ as them so I made it my mission to prove them wrong,” Shannon disclosed. She knew the odds were stacked against her, and she'd still come out on the other side...
There Weren't Many Women Left
All around her, other women in the program had succumbed to the pressures of the camp and dropped out. It was disheartening, but not enough to make Shannon quit. It upset her to lose female friends, but she was determined to soldier on without them...
Her Official Placement
Now that she was officially a Marine, she was given her official job: an administrative specialist in South Carolina. This meant she could move around and explore the country and form bonds with her team. She couldn't be more excited about her future...
New Responsibilities
Shannon always had a sense of responsibility and that got affirmed during the training. As an administrative specialist, she followed all the duties she was entrusted with and fearlessly took upon any challenges that came her way.
Promotions
Her hard work and loyalty helped her go up the ladder of positions of Marines corps. She worked in South Carolina for two years before getting transferred to Rock Island, Illinois. No doubt, South Carolina had secured a very special place in her heart as she spent one of the most valuable times of her life there, but going back to hometown was special for her, too...
Her Team
Shannon was thrilled with the promotion and the people that worked under her. She was known for her knowledge and abilities in her department, which earned her a lot of respect. It was important for a woman to hold a leadership role, especially within a group that was made up of mostly men...
Marine Perks
Shannon evolved in many ways during her stint in the Marines. She became more confident and more responsible. Shannon found a second family in her fellow Marines. They were there to serve their country and being together for such a long time had strengthened their bond...
A Source of Inspiration
Her story is one for the books, akin to a Disney movie. She had both beauty and brains, and she was determined to inspire other young girls to follow their dreams and defy gender norms. There's nothing a man can do that a woman can't, and because of that attitude, she earned lots of praise...
Her Past Was Always a Part of Her
The Marines left her with many irreplaceable life lessons. She learned about perseverance, courage, strength, and bravery. When her tour was over, she was inspired to go back to the beginning and finish the one thing she had left undone...
Finally a College Graduate
Shannon went back to Elmhurst College to complete her remaining credits. She finally earned her marketing degree and was determined to find a job that she loved instead of giving up when things got difficult. The Marines had instilled a new way of looking at life in her...
A Role Model
Shannon still continues to be a role model for young women everywhere. Her career was quite the whirlwind, from dropping out of college to becoming a high-profile model to enlisting in the Marines. She wants young women everywhere to know that they can do anything, no matter how difficult it may seem, as long as they don't give up.