Many of our friends and colleagues have worked with Shannon over the 7 years that she has been with Colorado Youth Matter. She has recently made a transition to working part-time as our Senior Consultant, and we thought we’d give her the opportunity to share with you what that means for her, personally and professionally.
First off tell me about how you got involved in the sexual health field and what brought you to Colorado Youth Matter…
I first started working in sexual health in the Peace Corps in 2001. I was a health volunteer working with teens and they weren’t too interested in malaria and dengue prevention. Not surprisingly, I found teens were much more interested in learning about and discussing sexual health, relationships, etc. I fell in love with this field then, and haven’t stopped loving it. I came to Colorado Youth Matter from Indiana, where I had been working on a grant that Colorado Youth Matter (at that time, COAPPP) had also received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With this grant in common, I was able to meet and work with CYM’s former ED, Lori Casillas. My partner and I wanted to move back to Colorado, so I pursued the opportunity to work with CYM. At that time Colorado Youth Matter was a fledgling organization. It has been an incredible experience to be part of an organization that has grown and strengthened – and I have grown with it. It’s been the most amazing professional development I could have ever asked for. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work and grow with Colorado Youth Matter and all of our colleagues and partners.