Shannon Moore

Delacreme Scholar Spotlight Class of 2022

By Bragard Kizenga

Give me a quick overview of who you are.

I would describe myself as a 23-year-old creator, academic, and digital marketer. I have to put the creator first because that's usually my default as a move throughout the world. I more recently settled with me being an academic since I'm in my 2nd year of graduate school. And finally, I work full-time at Lyric Opera of Chicago as their Digital Marketing Associate.

How did you come across the scholarship and what made you apply?

I came across this scholarship on Instagram. Someone I follow shared one your posts on their story and I immediately followed to find out when the application opened. I was also happy to find a scholarship that was open in the middle of the school year and not limited to just undergraduate students, since those are so much harder to find. I also loved that the prompt was open-ended in a way that allowed me to be more creative with my writing and not boxed into the usual "What are your academic/professional goals and how will this scholarship help you?" essay prompt.

What are your passions?

I'm passionate about many things. The main one is my interest in and commitment to the global Black community. The reason I study Critical Ethnic Studies is so that I can understand my community a lot better and find ways I can use that information to make the world a better place for us. I also LOVE music. It's something I've been taking a break from recently, but it's my first love so it holds a special place in my heart. I can also be very passionate about reality TV series. My favorite has been Big Brother, but right now I'm watching season 4 of Love is Blind. As terrible as the show is, I can't help but to watch every time.

How have your creative endeavors been since the scholarship or you can tell me about some of them? I see that you crochet/make music?

As I mentioned earlier, I've been on a bit of a break with making music because of work and school. However, I did pick up my guitar and started writing lyrics a few weeks ago. Songwriting is how I usually get my feelings out of my brain and into the tangible world so it felt good getting back to that. I also worked on a few projects that I have been recording over the last few years. Even though I'm not at a place where I can commit to music as much as I'd like, it's still nice to keep up with the skill from time to time. Crocheting for me has been another fun hobby recently. Growing up, my mom taught me how to crochet, but I never stuck with it. A few months ago, I remembered I had some yarn and wanted to crochet again. I started making bucket hats and other small items as gifts. I just recently finished my first shrug and I'm currently working on a durag. I wouldn't consider myself a professional, but it has been a fun thing to do when I'm watching shows or movies.