Shauna Ottesen, ’85 was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the third of nine children; six brothers and two sisters. She was the first in her family to begin a tradition of attending Utah Tech. One sister and a brother have followed in her footsteps, and a niece and a nephew have already attended with two more planning on attending in the near future.
Shauna was able to attend Utah Tech when she was awarded a music scholarship. Being involved in the show choir Counterpoint along with Concert Choir and Program Bureau (PB) provided her many opportunities to perform through song and dance. Her signature song that she performed during PB performances was “Mood Indigo”. Fun memories were made and traditions upheld during her sojourn at Utah Tech. Midnight PB is a fun memory with Mrs. DiFiore (Mrs. ‘D’).
Shauna recalls, “After the formal dances for D-Week and Homecoming old and current members of PB would gather and sing and perform until the wee hours of the morning. Everyone was welcome to be a part of PB. Although most registered for the class many would just come just for the fun of it. It really brought a feeling of unity and Mrs. ‘D’ would work with everyone.” She also recalls performances with Counterpoint under the direction of Howard ‘Bish’ Putnam where she was able to choreograph many of the numbers. She is excited about Raging Red, UT’s current show choir, because it is a great blend of Counterpoint and PB.
Another memory of Utah Tech was when the men’s basketball team won the National Junior College Championship. “School spirit was strong and in those home games leading up to the championship I often wondered if the bleachers in the Old Gym would break because there were so many there to support the team. Whitewashing the ‘D’ on the hill is another fun memory along with The Great Race. The teachers were awesome and knew us by name and were easy to associate with. And of course, there are many cherished friendships that were made and continue to thrive,” she said.
Since 1998 she has been involved with the A capella singing group Fourte’. They have performed for civic events, private parties and other gatherings. Shauna is currently on the Utah Tech University Alumni Board and has served since 2000. She has seen many changes and improvements over the years as the college has transitioned to a university. She is the past Vice President of Public Relations for the UT Alumni Board and helped develop the “Emphasis” (Alumni Newspaper) into the UT Alumni Magazine
She has been employed in the banking industry since 1987 and has worked for several banks over the years in a variety of capacities. Most recently she worked as the Human Resource Officer with The Village Bank, now known as Cache Valley Bank, and is currently the Operations Administrative Assistant.
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