Shannon Stovall is an amazing young woman that I have had the pleasure of knowing for most of my time here at Grand Canyon University. She is 21 years and is graduating in the spring of 2017. Shannon is the correspondent and president of Her Campus at GCU. She is hard working, dedicated, kind, and a great friend to all. She continuously goes out of her way for others and is passionate with everything she does. I have great faith that Shannon will go on to do big and great things in her lifetime. A large part of her life includes being an equestrian, which is one of her beloved passions.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Shannon Stovall: I grew up in the Phoenix area. I own two horses, Dollar and Lucy, and a dog, Finnegan. I love Disneyland, being outdoors, riding my horses and going on adventures. I am a senior here at GCU. I transferred my junior year from a university in Montana where I was studying Natural Horsemanship and Equine Science. I transferred to that school my sophomore year after going to community college. As much as I love Montana the cold was NOT for me or my horse. What made you get involved in horseback riding?
SS: I always loved horses since I was a little girl, I started taking riding lessons when I was 9 and have been taking them since. When I started taking lessons my mom made sure that I saddled the horse. She wanted me to understand all the hard work that went into them. I’ve owned my own horse since I was 11. When I was in middle school and high school I was really involved in the local 4-H club where I competed my horse Dollar in the local county shows. During my senior year, we qualified for the 4-H State Horse show and placed in the top 10! After high school, I turned my riding focus to English and learned how to jump with my horse Lucy. What is your favorite part about being an equestrian?
SS: I think my favorite part about being an equestrian is….all of it! I love riding horses and being in sync with them. I love taking care of them. I think horses have so much to teach us. Without them I definitely would not be who I am today. I love how much joy horses give to people. As a part time job, I give riding lessons to kids and they are so excited to learn and they just love horses so much. Even the basic stuff like brushing and giving them treats and it helps me remember why I love horses. They are awesome, but can be so much work. With school, it can be easy to be overwhelmed and that can take out the joy of owning horses. What is your major and why did you pick it?
SS: I am majoring in Political Science. I chose this major because politics is something that has always interested me. I love this country and want to help keep it and the ideas that it was founded upon around as long as possible.
Who is your role model and why?
SS: My role model in the horse world is my trainer Jamie. She is an amazing 3 Day Eventer who trains and rehabilitates wild mustangs. She is my role model because she is a great rider, but also because she has an open mind and is always trying to be better and learn new things about horses. What are your long-term goals?
SS: My long-term goals are to graduate college. Other than that, I am very open to anything. I would love to open my own business one day, maybe a cute coffee shop. I love being outdoors so I am going to look for jobs at dude ranches or at national parks after graduation. But I also love politics and could see myself working at the state capitol for a lobbying organization or even running to be a state senator or representative one day.