Newest Blue Jays: Shannon Dorety Finds Her Time to Begin Again

Shannon Dorety (Northeast High School, Philadelphia) will study Child Development at Manor College.

The question was simple – “How old are you? – but Shannon Dorety’s answer caught the 18-year-old off guard.

“Wait…repeat that!”, the young woman replied.

“Yup. I’m 31!”, Dorety laughed.

The rest of the group at the table during Manor College’s Summer Bridge program followed with “You’re not 31…”, to which Dorety simply replied, “Thank you.”

It’s almost surreal now to be sitting waiting for college to start, Dorety said. A decade went by where the thought of a high school degree, let alone entering college, simply didn’t exist.

Dorety was a teenager at Northeast High School in Philadelphia when she dropped out due to a lack of desire and a troubling relationship. Once she had her daughter at 19, Dorety’s focus shifted to her children.

With her daughter now a teenager and her son prepping for kindergarten, the time to get her GED and enroll in college felt right.

“I wish I had an answer of what made now so significant, but I just put my mind to it,” Dorety said. “I put my mind to completing high school and college just followed suit. I thought, ‘You’re on such a roll now, why wait?’”

Dorety will enroll in Manor College’s Child Development program for the Fall 2026 semester. Aside from being a mother and a caretaker, experiences with her nieces and nephews showcased a love for working with children.

“I’m the adult at the family function who enjoys playing with the kids,” Dorety laughed.

At Manor, Dorety hopes to step out of her comfort zone and create a support group for parents who are going to college.

“I know there’s a Mental Health Club on campus, but I noticed how many students I’ve encountered already that are parents,” Dorety said. “Everyone is struggling with everything in their lives and I know parents can feel alone sometimes. I just wanted to have an area where they can go and speak freely to people that really understand what they’re going through.”

Ultimately, enrolling in college is a chance for Dorety to find herself again.

“This is my chance to start getting some of me back a bit,” Dorety said, “to actually have an identity besides mom, wife and caretaker.”