Shannon is a Research Assistant in Asian studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. In this position she is responsible for providing research, writing, and editing support to scholars studying U.S. strategy in the Asia-Pacific and East Asian security and political issues. Shannon graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in Chinese Studies and International Studies: Asia in May, 2013. As an undergraduate, Shannon received a Boren Scholarship, allowing her to spend three semesters and one summer studying at Peking University in Beijing.