Rate My Professor Shannon van Rooijen

Shannon van Rooijen serves as Recreation Programme Coordinator at the Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) Clubs & Societies Centre, located at 84 Albany Street, North Dunedin, New Zealand. In this capacity, she manages recreation programmes and coordinates major student events, including Art Week, which has been running for more than a decade. Art Week offers students opportunities to participate in creative pursuits and connect with the community through events such as Brush'n Bevvys at Starters Bar, an art exhibition where students sell their work, Art Week Market Day showcasing the local creative community, a DJ workshop followed by a Future DJ competition, and Wahine in Music supporting female and non-binary performers navigating the music industry.

Shannon van Rooijen studied the arts, including Theatre Studies, at the University of Otago. During her time there, she interned as a set designer for the 2017 production of Twelfth Night, resulting from a collaboration between Fortune Theatre and University of Otago Theatre Studies students. She worked on set design and construction with Dominic Houlihan under the guidance of mentor Peter King, applying academic knowledge in a professional setting. In 2018, she contributed as an emerging playwright to Fortune Theatre's 4 x 4 initiative, developing a new 15-minute play mentored by Emily Duncan and presented in rehearsed readings at the University of Otago's Allen Hall Theatre. She also acted as producer for the Capping Show, an annual OUSA student satire production, until handing over after the 2022 show. Additional contributions include set design featured in University of Otago publications and technical production support for student arts programmes.