Who WE Are – Shannon Potter

Hard work pays off.

Shannon Potter William Penn School Counselor Shannon Potter is a walking, talking example of how hard work can lead to the career of your dreams.

Five years ago Potter began working as a staff center secretary at William Penn (WP), but today she is a school counselor there. She attended Carrie Downie and the former Martin Luther King Elementary School from the first through fifth grade before she moved out of the District as a child. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science from Wilmington University in 2013, Potter moved to Georgia with her husband where she worked at a local college and was first inspired to seek a career in education. Shortly after moving back to Delaware with her husband, Potter was hired at WP. “From my very first day I felt lucky, like I struck gold and found not only a great career fit for what my strengths are, but also a place I could grow professionally,” she said. At WP, Potter, a mother of four, built relationships with the staff, students, and the community saying, “I credit my capacity to build relationships with diverse groups of people to the values that were taught to me as a child in the Colonial School District.” Potter says once she made the decision to seek her Master’s degree from Wilmington University in Secondary School Counseling, Colonial Nation got behind her, especially students at WP who encouraged her to pursue her new career goal. Now as a counselor, Potter hopes students will remember they can count on her to listen and work with them to achieve their career goals. “For me, that is what the Power of WE is all about… I truly believe I have the best job in the world, and work at the best high school in the world, with the best and most inspiring group of students in the world!”