Shanon Black, mother of three, pursues healthcare field to work on reservations

Get to know our people and you’ll know what UMKC is all about.

Shanon Black ’22
Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
Degree Program: Doctor of Dental Surgery
High school: Lawrence High School

An interest in healthcare and a focus on making a difference for Native American communities led Shanon Black to the UMKC School of Dentistry. While the program is as challenging as she expected, the mother of three is successfully juggling school and life.

Shanon Black knew she wanted to be on the frontline of health care and make a difference for Native American communities. Initially, she was focused on medical school because of the shortage of native doctors on reservations. But one of her professors suggested she explore dentistry.

“I decided to take a look,” Black says. “A representative from the UMKC diversity office visited Haskell University later that week.”

Read the full interview.