LAURENTIAN PORTRAIT
PA INT ING HER
OWN EXPER I ENCE
by Allison Shea ’13
“
St. Lawrence is a canvas – you’re able
to paint your own experience,” says
Shaneequa Castle ’13. “Take advantage
of every opportunity offered to you.
Explore your interests and passions.”
Shaneequa, a sociol-
ogy and performance
and communication arts
double major, certainly
follows her own advice.
She founded Helping
Out People Everywhere
(
H.O.P.E.) her sophomore year; the orga-
nization hosts events such as faculty-stu-
dent Olympics, dance parties and fashion
shows to raise money for charities such
as the Keep a Child Alive Foundation,
which provides HIV/AIDS treatment for
children worldwide.
H.O.P.E. has raised more than $2,000
since its founding, and for 2012-13 it
was granted a theme house, where mem-
bers often host smaller fundraisers. “It’s
grown so much since it started, and it’s
making a real impact,” says Shaneequa.
Shaneequa’s devotion to dance has
played a large role in her fundraisers,
and she’s it applied in the classroom,
too. A St. Lawrence semester in Trinidad
and Tobago, her father’s native country,
allowed her to explore her Caribbean
roots, specifically dancehall, which she
describes as “a subculture,
a music genre and a dance
style.” She was awarded
a Tanner Fellowship in
summer 2012 to work
in Jamaica, her mother’s
homeland, creating a
documentary on it. Upon
returning, she received
a McNair Fellowship to
continue her research,
which she later presented
at a conference in July
2012
in Buffalo, N.Y.
“
I’m really proud of my
culture,” says Shaneequa.
“
I try to take advantage of
every opportunity to teach
others about it.”
With less than a semester
left until graduation,
her own St. Lawrence canvas is close to
finished. “H.O.P.E. has given me the
foundation to realize what I’m passionate
about – helping others,” she says.
Shaneequa, who is also an intern for
the Canton Community Fund, plans to
work in the nonprofit sector after gradu-
ation.
SHANEEQUA CASTLE ’13
Alli Shea, a writing intern in
University Communications in
fall 2012, shares an international
study experience with her subject,
having taken part in St. Lawrence’s
program in New Zealand.
"
H.O.P.E. has given me
the foundation to real-
ize what I'm passionate
about – helping others."
18
WINTER 2013 | ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
Johnson Newspsper Corp./St. Lawrence Plaindealer