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Overall, education has played a significant role in Sha-Hanna’s life. As a child, her K-12 educational experience was enriched through her participation college preparatory programs, such as Upward Bound and 21st Century Scholars. This positive exposure to student services bridged over to her undergraduate years through the Indiana University (IU) Groups Scholars program. During her time at IU, she was highly involved in a diverse array of student organizations, both academic and extracurricular in scope. Sha-Hanna’s initial higher education and student affairs professional experience began with the Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence (FASE) Mentoring Program as a Student Consultant. In this role, she successfully connected first-year student mentees and community mentors in a variety of ways to ensure student satisfaction and enhance retention. Ultimately, Sha-Hanna graduated from IU with a Bachelor of General Studies focusing on Arts and Humanities while completing minors in Kinesiology (Exercise Science) and Fitness Instruction. Upon graduation, she began exploring and developing other professional avenues. She has maintained her professional certifications as a Personal Trainer and Real Estate Broker.
Due to her intense desire to serve, she found her way back into education through the AmeriCorps funded national and community service program, Public Allies in Chicago, IL. Here, she worked as the Resource Coordinator for the University of Chicago Charter School and partnered with the Neighborhood Schools Program out of the University of Chicago to build a sustainable tutoring program from scratch, amongst other capacity building initiatives. The Public Allies program also immersed Sha-Hanna into extensive leadership development through non-profit management, diversity and inclusion awareness, and professional development trainings. The third dimension of her service as a Public Ally allowed her to experience community organizing around social justice concerns with a grass roots approach that applied Asset-Based Community Development methodology. At the conclusion of her Public Allies term, she participated in a second AmeriCorps program that focused on student engagement and retention through the Harmony Education Project partnered with the Metropolitan High School (MET) of Indianapolis, IN. MET students worked closely with Sha-Hanna to create student-led programming and engage in community service projects. While serving at the MET and volunteering at a local elementary school, Hoosier Academy, she was offered an opportunity to begin assistant teaching.
Throughout this time, Sha-Hanna further explored her career interest and discovered that the field of higher education leadership was a best fit. She was then admitted to the University of Wisconsin’s School of Education to pursue Administrative Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs. She returned to working at the collegiate level in student affairs and continued teaching as an adjunct faculty member. At this point, she served on the campus leadership team and gained higher level education experience through collaboration with the campus president and other department leaders to shape and define the student experience. As an Honors Advisor and Adjunct Faculty member of the Ivy Tech Honors College, Sha-Hanna works closely with students in four main areas of advising. These areas consist of academic, career, personal, and transfer advisement. Her favorite aspect of her daily work is that she is honored to support others in their life journeys!