Nikki Shonoiki

Nikki Shonoiki "is an Upperclassman at University of Wisconsin- River Falls studying Intercultural Communications with a minor in Social Justice. Growing up in a lower middle class mixed-race community in South Minneapolis, MN she gained an appreciation for cultural and economic differences and the effects those differences have on society. Nikki herself is a cultural hybrid born to a Nigerian father and African American mother she felt tugged between following American culture while still holding on to her father's heritage. She has a twin brother and an older sister who has 2 sons. Nikki began paying attention to politics in High school, specifically when the twin towers fell. Until then she didn't realize the impact she could make on her community through political activism. When she arrived at UWRF and began taking courses in Political Science, she found where her passion lays. After being on Student Senate for 2 .5 years she's gained more knowledge about politics and more experience in political activism. In Spring 2008, she ran for local political office as a Pierce County Board Supervisor and won making her the only women, only minority and youngest member of the board in living memory. She has served as the Director of Diversity and Women's Initiatives on UWRF's Student Senate and is currently a Co-founder and Co-Chair of Rise Up for Women's Rights. She is also an Intern for United Council of UW Students, Wisconsin's State-wide Student Association. After her Post-Secondary career at UWRF she hopes to continue on to Graduate school in order to receive a Masters in International Business. With this degree she would like to manage and/or start social justice organizations around the world that deal with major social issues such as poverty, women's rights, equal rights, genocide, etc., with the hope of creating positive change in at least one person's life."


 * Director, Choice USA