Shannon received an MA in Human Rights from Columbia University, a BA in Urban Studies from Southern Nazarene University, and most recently was trained in digital storytelling at the University of California, Berkeley. In the past, Shannon oversaw Prevention and Outreach services for Family Service Center of Galveston County, has served as an Americorps volunteer in Baltimore, traveled the United States as a “pioneer” for the organization Pioneer Living and worked at Human Rights Watch, as well as various international aid organizations. Her current research interests at the Institute for the Medical Humanities include social medicine and the history of medicine. Shannon is also co-founder of TWELVE and is an advocate for storytelling via pictures, voice or video.