College of Arts & Communication at UW-Whitewater

We have featured faculty from the Art, Music, Theatre/Dance, and MAGD Departments. Last but not least is the Young Auditorium. While not an actual department in the sense of offering classes to students, they are still an important and valued part of the College of Arts and Communication. This week’s Featured Faculty is Shannon Dozoryst who is the Education and Outreach coordinator at the Young Auditorium! Read on to learn more about her.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I am originally from Rhode Island, but I have lived in New Zealand, Milwaukee, Madison, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.  I now live in Fort Atkinson.

Q: What do you do at UW-Whitewater?

A: I work at Young Auditorium.  My main responsibility is to facilitate education and outreach programs for K-12 schools (students and teachers) in the greater community.

Q: What is your favorite thing about UW-Whitewater?

A: I love the campus in the springtime.  It is beautiful, and there is an energy buzz from the students coming out of hibernation and gearing up for the end of the semester.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: Reading, writing, paper crafts, biking, hiking/walking and playing with my children.

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: I would love to be able to be in two places at one time, so that I could have enough time for both work and my hobbies!

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: I moved to a big city and took a job that was completely out of my comfort zone.  I learned a lot both professionally and personally from that experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Book?

A: I have a lot of favorites…one of my favorite books is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; one of my favorite movies is Life is Beautiful.

Q: What is your best advice for students? 

A: Take advantage of as many opportunities that comes your way as possible, even if they seem odd or scary!

Q: What’s one thing that you want people to know about you?

A: I may seem reserved when I first meet you, but once you get to know me better you’ll find that I have a quirky sense of humor and try not to take life too seriously.

Dozoryst’s professional can be found below:

Shannon Dozoryst is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the University of WI-Whitewater’s Young Auditorium.  Prior to her appointment at Young Auditorium, Shannon was a Department Chair and English teacher for a public college preparatory high school in Chicago.   She also has experience working with pre-school and elementary school students in educational and recreational settings.  Shannon combines her experience as a teacher with her passion for arts education by developing partnerships on and off campus, programming a professional performing arts series for K-12 students, presenting workshops, and creating opportunities for visiting artists to work with students and teachers in the local schools.  Shannon also oversees Young Auditorium’s involvement with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program, which provides professional development opportunities in arts integration for teachers.  She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a teaching certification from Marquette University, and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership with a specialization in Reading from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Shannon served on the board of the Wisconsin Arts Alliance for Education (2008-2011), and continues to advocate for arts integration in education both personally and professionally.

Thank you for being our Featured Faculty for this Friday Shannon Dozoryst! Check back next week to see who the next Featured Faculty will be!