7 Things about Shannon Donahue '95

What inspired you to do this kind of work?I worked in Corporate America for 10 years and absolutely despised it. I just knew I needed to be doing something else. While there, I was also coaching, and working with the kids just lit me up every time. I wanted to be doing that all the time. I finally made the move to go into education full time and pursue my passion. Now I come to work every day and genuinely love what I do and who I work with. It’s a true blessing.

What is your position here and how long have you worked at O’Dowd?

I am the Dean of Students and have been here since 2012. I was in attendance for 3 years at the start. I’ve been coaching women’s basketball at O’Dowd for over 18 years.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received (generally – it doesn’t have to be related to O’Dowd)?

The best advice I ever heard was from the great Maya Angelou –

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

What is your favorite thing about your job?

The students. Interacting with the students each day is by far the best thing about my job. Good time and bad times, I enjoy seeing them grow, mature and develop into amazing young adults.

What about your field or position do you think would surprise people the most?

I think most people would be surprised that the Dean of Students are actually nice people!

What is the most interesting or surprising thing about you?

The thing that people find interesting (weird is more like it) is that I separate my M&M’s by color before eating them. I eat blue, red and brown first because those are the worst ones, and then I eat yellow, orange and green last because those are the best. And no one can convince me otherwise!

If you could rescue only one thing from your burning office, what would it be?I’ve only been in this office for a year, so I don’t have much, but I would definitely grab my son’s baby picture and the picture of me with the 2013 state championship team.

By default I’ll grab the emergency backpack that is housed in my office.

Bonus Questions

What is your favorite kind of music/what are your favorite bands?R&B and Hip Hop…especially if it was from the 90’s and early 2000’s. My all-time favorites are Whitney Houston, TLC, Tupac and Outkast.

What is your favorite sports team or who is your favorite individual athlete?I am a Lakers fan for life. That is the only team I obsess over. While we are terrible this year, I wipe my tears with the 16 championship banners they’ve won. My favorite athlete is a tie between Kobe and Magic.