Shannon Riley-Kilgore, Class of 1987

CURRENT LOCATION:

Junction City, OR

FAMILY LIFE:

I have been married to Dean Kilgore of southern Oregon since 1998. I've nicknamed my husband "the Borg" because of his love of tinkering with computers and electronics. He also is a big science fiction fan who spends quite a bit of time gaming on the Internet.

We have one son, J.J., who was born in 1999. Our son is the apple of my eye. He is a tall boy who has light-brown curly locks, bright blue eyes, and a dimple in his chin. He is also very loving, curious, bossy, social, and incredibly smart. He is a "ladies man" -he has his mom wrapped around his finger as well as just about any young lady he meets under the age of six. But he says he is spoken for: he met an older woman-a five-year-old girl named Emily - with whom he held hands all throughout last summer's Independence Day fireworks display (2003). He says he is going to marry her someday-but that doesn't keep him from having "girlfriends" all over the place. <<sigh>> What am I going to do with him when he is in high school?

We also have two cats: a black cat named Quincy who is quite a communicator, and a fluffy white cat named Kissie who is very quiet. Quincy is a very social animal who makes friends all over the neighborhood. Kissie is very affectionate and is so attached to us that she goes with us on trips. They each have major problems though: Quincy is a hunter who scraps with wild animals larger than him, and Kissie is rather gassy. But they are both spoiled-rotten lap cats that are so patient that they don't go crazy when JJ drags them all over the place. Poor Kissie has been put into just about every cupboard in the house, into all the laundry baskets, the refrigerator, the closets, and his toy box. We always stop him, of course, but that stupid cat always goes back to him for more and goes back to the places he puts her to explore. At least he is not dressing her in doll clothes and dragging her all over the neighborhood on his tricycle like I used to do with our family cat when I was his age!

EDUCATION:

After graduation, I attended College of the Canyons, like so many of us did. I received an A.A. in Business in 1991.

Thereafter I worked as a clerical person. I moved to Oregon to be closer to my family in 1992.

In 1994 I started experiencing hand and arm injuries from the clerical work I was doing. I decided that I needed to explore a new occupation while I still have use of my hands.

I started attending Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon in 1997. I am a heartbeat away from gaining my Bachelor's degree in English with an emphasis on writing. I was a good student and became a Phi Kappa Phi member in 1999. I would have earned my degree in 2002, but I injured my back so badly that I needed surgery and could not complete my last term's coursework. I was also a member of the Native American Student Union and helped out at two intertribal gatherings (pow-wows) held at the university. I am also working on obtaining a Certificate in Native American Studies, and I hope to get into the MAT program once I get more experience in elementary school classrooms. After I receive the experience I need, I plan to re-take the courses I was not able to complete for my major and then further my other studies. I want to be qualified to teach children from grades 5-8, preferably at a reservation school where I can incorporate Native culture and language in the classroom.

EMPLOYMENT:

I am currently looking into working as an Instructional Assistant at one of the school districts out here. However, I would not balk if I locate a good clerical position. After all, I have a little one to feed. I'll update again as soon as I've obtained my next job. (12/03)

HOBBIES:

I enjoy writing the most. I wrote a draft of a screenplay for college credit that caught the interest of Ray Liota and a poetic essay that was published in 2000. I have another screenplay, a couple of plays, a half-dozen novels, and numerous poems milling about in my mind-but I've been having trouble committing them to paper (or keystrokes as the case may be). Please e-mail me to nag me about making time to write-I need it!

I also love most of the activities that living in Oregon is famous for: river rafting, beach combing, exploring lighthouses, rock hounding, camping, fishing, hiking around, and dodging raindrops. I also enjoy attending intertribals, dancing, sightseeing, and going to the park with my son. I read Native history books and stories, writing craft related books, some science fiction, and TONS of children's books. I also enjoy storytelling, acting, puppeteering, some handicrafts, and cooking. In truth, what I do most is watch home improvement shows and dream about the house I'll have some day.

Feel free to e-mail me; I like hearing from old friends.

Send Shannon a note

Last Updated: December, 2003

Return to the Alumni main page