Miss Shannon Baker hails from the Stellat’en First Nation and is of Carrier Dene ancestry. She was born in Prince George BC.  She was raised on and off the little village of Stella, and also in Fraser Lake BC, a town that consists of less than 1,350 people.

In the tradition of the Carrier Dene people, an elder from Shannon’s village, rubbed warm bee hive into the palm of her hands when she was a baby so that she could have strong artistic abilities. Perhaps this is the reason why she is drawn to the arts. Throughout the years she has expressed herself artistically through writing, painting, poetry, fashion design, sketching, dance and music. She played various musical instruments. As a teenager, she played flute duets with her twin sister and played classical music with her sister in musical competitions.

Shannon started to volunteer at an early age, for different organizations, such as the Annual B.C. Elder’s Gatherings and the annual “Lejac Pilgrimage”. In high school, she tutored students that played the saxophone, flute, clarinet and the piccolo. She also found time during high school to work as a teacher’s assistant at the elementary school.

She graduated a year early and at seventeen, worked for a native organization as a “Youth Conference Coordinator”. She facilitated and coordinated conferences for First Nations youth from villages of northern and central BC. She also worked as an Information Communication Trainer for the government.  During this time, she was delegated as one of four aboriginal youth role models of British Columbia at an education conference held in Vancouver.

After a few years of living in Vancouver, she realized that she was fascinated with acting. Her initial goal was to become a teacher like her Grandmother. However, after a few acting and modeling jobs, she realized that she had found her passion. She is currently working as an actress and model and successfully manages her own modeling career with her twin sister. She places a high value on education and is well on her way towards attaining her Bachelor of Arts Degree.
Shannon worked for various non-profit organizations over the years such as: The Chief Dan George Centre, The Native Education Centre, PGNAETA, and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

In 2002 she worked at Simon Fraser University. She was fortunate to work and be affiliated with a program that is associated with Early Childhood Education. She obtained her HIPPY Coordinator Certificate and worked with the HIPPY childhood development program. The program addresses the diverse needs of families that struggle with conditions of poverty and low levels of literacy. The HIPPY program has helped over 22,000 families in over 8 countries worldwide. At the young age of 19 she became Project Manager and Research Assistant of the Aboriginal HIPPY program.

She has been on a variety of television shows, films and videos. Recently, her and her twin sister made a celebrity guest appearance on “The Tyra Banks Show”. Both of them also landed an acting role on an episode of the television show “Smallville”. Some of her other acting and modeling experiences are in films, music videos, radio interviews, print, editorials, advertisements and has been in several runway shows.

Shannon has many hobbies that include, rock-climbing, playing the guitar, tennis, gardening, yoga, linguistics, jogging, skiing, reading, aerobics, writing, song writing, roller-blading, dance (jazz, swing, tap, native traditional), cliff jumping, skim boarding, singing, sewing, fashion, poetry, hiking, web design and going to powwows.

Shannon loves her family and attributes her accomplishments to them. She holds her First Nations culture close to her heart and is proud to say that she is a First Nations woman. She believes that with hard work, sacrifice and determination anyone can attain their dreams.

Sponsored By: Artifaax, Stellat'en & Nadleh Whut'en Community Members, Penticton Indian Band & Okanagan Community, Wet'suwet'en First Nation, Tl'azt'en Nation, First Nations Training & Consulting Services, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, Carrier Sekani Family Services, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, Rivage Natural Dead Sea Minerals, Selkin Logging Peace Hills Trust,Ratcliff & Company LLP, Burns Lake Native Development Corporation, Family and Friends.