Magnets: Band and Theatre

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Shannon and Dan with their children Alex (l) and Lily
What do you get when you blend a flair for the dramatic, an expert clarinetist, scientific prowess, and engineering savvy? You get Shannon (Mayne) Hendricks, a night-shift pharmacist in Columbus with a beautiful family and a deep-rooted gratitude for her Stivers career.

Shannon’s pursuit of higher learning began in seventh grade at Stivers when a teacher nominated her for the Wright Stepp program, an intensive four-year summer learning institute at Wright State University that prepares students for careers in math, science, and engineering and offers a full scholarship upon completion. Shannon took advantage of the scholarship and in 2006 graduated magna cum laude with dual degrees - a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and a bachelor of science in chemistry. Shannon didn’t stop at two degrees – in 2010, she graduated cum laude as a Doctor of Pharmacy from The Ohio State University.

Currently Shannon resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and children, Happily married for almost five years, Shannon and Dan met while working together at McDonald’s during high school, but did not start dating until years later. Dan has continued his career at McDonald’s and is now a restaurant manager. Shannon and Dan are the proud parents of two adorable kids, Alex (2) and Lily (9 months). Shannon says her children “are the light of my life!”

As a pharmacist for Cardinal Health, Shannon works the night shift seven days straight and then has seven days off. “Having a week off every other week is pretty awesome,” says Shannon. “I help nurses with any questions they have about the medications their patients are taking. I also review patients’ medications during their hospital stays to ensure that they are taking the correct medications at the correct doses without any risk of drug interactions.” Although Shannon works long hours in a high-intensity atmosphere, she says, “I love my job!”

When asked how Stivers helped prepare her for life after high school, Shannon said that it gave her a concept of the real world that many of her pharmacy school classmates were lacking. “Stivers gave me exposure to diversity that I have not been able to experience since. Cultural, racial, religious, sexual, educational, and artistic diversity, all in one building, coexisting as a big family.” Shannon says that these experiences have made her better equipped to assist patients from a variety of backgrounds because she sees them as equals. “These are skills my diverse Stivers family taught me.” Shannon also credits her success to influential mentors who guided her through her academic career – Mrs. Schaetzle and Mrs. Murdock for honing her English skills, and Mrs. Daniels and Mrs. Huff for developing her math skills. “I owe a great deal of thanks and gratitude to the many teachers who gave me their time and energy so willingly.”


 
Magnet: Orchestra
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Ms. Shandi Schlegel is a Stivers School for the Arts Alumna from the Class of 2009. Her love for math and encouragement from a teacher propelled Shandi to study mechanical engineering. Once Shandi has an engineering degree under her belt, she plans to enter cosmetology school and dreams of inheriting ownership of an engineering firm.

Shandi is a junior mechanical engineering major at Wright State University. As a high school sophomore, Ms. Sorrell encouraged Shandi to attend WSU’s Summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, amd Math) Program. Shandi says that she absolutely loves math and “didn’t want to pass an opportunity to learn more.” Shandi will finish out her degree at Kent State next year after she moves to Aurora, Ohio, with her boyfriend, Richard. She also hopes to work for and someday inherit Richard’s family’s aerospace engineering firm.

In addition to her aptitude in engineering, Shandi also has a penchant for style and plans to pursue a cosmetology degree after graduation. “I’ve never heard of an engineering student going for a cosmetology degree,” says Shandi. “From working at Ulta Beauty and Sally Beauty Group, I have developed such an interest in [cosmetology]. I want to do two things that I enjoy: makeup and hair, and engineering.”

How does Shandi balance engineering with cosmetology? “Girls can be pretty and smart,” Shandi says. “I’m the ditzy, blonde girl who wears too much pink but walks into an engineering class or calculus class with her head held high to prove that women are more capable that society thinks we are.” And Shandi sure is proving herself – one of her proudest accomplishments since graduating from Stivers was earning a B in Calculus 3, a class that is notorious for its rigor.

Shandi credits Stivers with giving her a strong foundation for college. “Stivers gave me a very good education. I was able to go straight into calculus classes [at Wright State] and didn’t have to take any developmental English classes.” Shandi is grateful to Ms. Sorrell (“telling me about that program changed my life!”) and Mr. Asadorian (“thank heavens for Ace!”) for helping her discover her strengths and interests.

We asked Shandi what advice she would give to current Stivers seniors interested in pursuing engineering: “Engineering is hard work,” she says, “but if it is what you want to do, don’t let anyone stop you.” Shandi would like to let all Stivers students know about the wealth of opportunities in engineering and get students interested in math and science earlier in their high school career.

Shandi is the first Stivers School for the Arts alum to be featured in the Alumni Spotlight. Check back weekly for more exciting stories from exceptional Stivers grads!