Life is an Adventure: Shannon Tivona
Age: 18
Home Town: Fort Collins, Colorado
Major: Environmental Studies with minors in Sustainability, Management, and Leadership Studies
As a freshman here at Eckerd, Shannon has found a home within our community. Shannon is a truly remarkable woman. She lights up the room when she walks in, and her shining personality showcases a true Eckerd Student. She decided to come to Eckerd because she “liked the idea of joining a close-knit community.” The small class sizes and the personal interaction between students and professors were also a large part of why she came to Eckerd. In addition, the location was a huge plus. Shannon’s favorite part about Eckerd is how supportive everyone is. “There are always people to lend a hand for a project or give advice when you are having trouble. Everyone here wants to help you succeed and will go out of their way to help.”
Shannon is very involved in the Eckerd Community. She is a part of ECOS, Sustainability Committee, ECOS Financial Affairs Committee, the Honors Program, Freshman Research Program, and the Food Recovery Network. Shannon is also a member of Eckerd’s Emerging Leaders. This program is specifically for freshmen; the main focus of the club is to expose freshman to all the opportunities on campus while giving them a chance to voice their opinions about issues on campus.
“I joined EEL because I thought it was really incredible that there was an outlet for students who want to make a difference at Eckerd. I liked the idea of having our voices heard about issues we thought to be important on campus,” Shannon explained. Her favorite part about EEL is how excited and supportive people are about each other’s ideas. She always leaves EEL feeling appreciated and inspired by her peers. Right now Shannon and several of her peers from EEL are working on a project to better the Eckerd Community. Her team is appropriately named the Spice Girls. They are working together to get a spice rack put up in the main cafeteria in hopes, “to give students more freedom to have variety in their meals.” If the project goes as planned there will be a spice rack with an accompanying poster that describes what they are and how they can be used. Shannon understands that, “It is incredibly hard for Bon Appetite to make a meal that everyone is going to like.” Eckerd is home to a very diverse population from various backgrounds. It is inevitable that students will have very different tastes. The Spice Girls hope that their project will allow students to add a personal twist to their meals they way they like it. This project is small, but could make waves in the Eckerd Community. The goal is to improve the overall satisfaction with the food service at Eckerd.
Shannon cut her winter break short and came back to Eckerd to participate in Leadership and Self-Discovery Practicum. Her favorite part of LSDP was getting the opportunity to meet Sally. Sally, an Eckerd alum, volunteers to come and teach LSDP students in the program. During her time at Eckerd, she also participated in LSDP. Shannon explains, “She is an incredible woman and role model and she helped us with everything from self-discovery to career skills.”
With the approaching Eckerd Accepted Student’s Days, I asked Shannon what advice she would give to incoming freshman. Shannon’s response was nothing less than insightful. “My advice to freshman would be to not be afraid to advocate for yourself. If there is a class you are really interested in taking, go talk to the professor. If there is a club you are interested in joining, just go to a meeting. Everyone here at Eckerd is so supportive and even if the person you talk to can’t help you I am sure they will help you find someone that can. There are opportunities everywhere on campus, you just have to go look for them.”
Last but not least, her favorite quote is, “Life is an adventure.” It reminds her that everything she does and experiences is all part of an adventure. It also helps her to not take herself too seriously and to not get hung up on small details. Shannon believes, “New experiences are what help to transform me…Life is an adventure and I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve had my eyes closed. I want to live and love every minute.”