Shannon has loved airplanes and flying since she was a small child. She learned to fly in Florida and earned a pilot license in her senior year of high school. She is a Harvard alumnus, and holds multiple engineering and technology degrees, including a doctorate in Computer Science. Her doctoral thesis focused on Affective Computing and Flight Simulation. She currently lives at NC26, an airpark on Lake Norman. She owns and flies a Searey amphibious taildragger and a vintage straight tail Cessna 172, and a PW-5 Glider. She also has multiple (certified) flight simulators. Shannon is a Commercial pilot, with Instrument, Single-Engine Land, Single-Engine Sea, and Glider ratings (endorsement include glider self-launch & aerotow, taildragger, and high performance). Shannon started out teaching as a CFI Sport Airplane, but later “upgraded” to a traditional CFI Airplane and CFI Glider. She currently has about 1100 hours. Shannon plans to add a CFII in winter or 2021, and her multi-engine (land/sea/instructor) ratings in 2022. Shannon enjoys teaching part time in the early mornings/evenings during the week and on weekends. She plans to retire from her role as a Computer Scientist at the Walt Disney Company in February of 2024, and transition to a professional pilot and CFI career full-time to focus on her greatest passion: flying!