Shannon Salandy
Shannon Salandy was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, but moved to the states at 15 years old. She then went on to study psychology and sociology at Washington College where she received both degrees in May of 2023, which would turn out to be one of her greatest accomplishments. Some of her interests and passions include writing, drawing, singing songs word for word, watching tv and hanging with my friends. Five-year aspirations include attaining a masters degree in social work, and helping to make positive changes and build as many relationships as she can within the community she’s in. Her musical inspirations include Bobby Darin, Elton John, Preedy, Kes and Voice. What excites her about the HHTC is practicing with the ability to develop lyrics to a beat, switching up her flows and creating creative rhyming schemes. Writing has something she’s always been passionate about but it never turned into more than a poem or a few lines of rap in a song that already exists. HHTC has given her the opportunity to channel this energy into something worthwhile and fine tune these skills that already exist.
DJ TriniShay
Being born in Trinidad has added a unique twist on my personality in terms of what I bring to the table. I am extremely proud of my culture and country and that’ll probably be the first thing I tell you when I introduce myself. Naturally, it had to be a part of my name. However, I can't take all the credit. Because of my love for music, I would usually be on “aux” whenever I’m in the car or there’s a party or family gathering. I usually am able to play songs to fit the vibe of everyone in the room and the occasion. My friends and family started calling me DJ Trini. I added ‘Shay’ to the end because it was the nickname I came up with for myself (although I have a few people who’d call me Shay or Shay Shay). It highlights a strength I have with the ability to connect situations, people and music together. It’s not that big of a deal, but I think it is a special quality to have. The persona is a little different than my regular personality. I have the capacity to be shy or feel anxious but I cover it up with kindness towards other people. Shay or DJTriniShay makes me feel like I’m cool and have that extra swagger to push it over the edge.