No one can accuse Shannon Hope of not taking advantage of every opportunity Syracuse University has given her. In her time at Syracuse, she’s been an orientation leader, participated in the OttoTHON dance marathon, sang with the a cappella group Main Squeeze, held numerous internships, studied abroad, and participated in an immersion program in D.C. where she interacted with alumni in the area. If it’s tiring reading about it, just imagine how she feels.
“I’m a paper planner! I’m very focused and good at time management,” says the California native. It’s a good thing, too. In addition to her busy academic schedule as a public relations major , she’s juggling duties on the executive board of OttoTHON, the Forever Orange Student Alumni Council and as president of Main Squeeze.
Hope’s “best semester ever” was when she studied abroad in London , including a trip to Lockerbie, Scotland, which she described as quaint and quiet. There, she and other students visited Lockerbie Academy.
“It was one of my most memorable experiences. We came together because of tragedy but there was a sense of community,” she says. Post-graduation, Shannon would like to work in travel and tourism public relations, an area she became interested in during her internships with Princess Cruises and later with an advertising and marketing agency. There, she was able to work on several projects at once, sharing ideas, writing press releases and pitching stories to the media. “That internship really solidified what it is I want to do.”
In fact, when the owner of the agency, an alumnus, recently came back to campus, Hope made a point of introducing herself and telling him how much she learned interning for his company. The two later connected on LinkedIn.
As she started her senior year, Shannon went back to the start in a way. She was an orientation leader, familiarizing incoming freshmen to the University. “I loved welcoming the new class as both my legacy and as my goodbye to Syracuse,” she says. “Sharing my passion for Syracuse is something I try to do every day. Coming here was the best decision I ever made.”