Shadwaynn (pronounced Shuh-dwan) Curry is most known by her nickname, Mikki. She has had strong roots in Fort Wayne, Indiana since she was a child. She graduated from Elmhurst High School in 1988 and attended Indiana University-Fort Wayne, currently known as Purdue University Fort Wayne. Shadwaynn received a B.S. in Elementary Education with a language arts endorsement in 1993. She then began teaching at Fort Wayne Community Schools. Shadwaynn decided that more schooling in her field would benefit her, so she went on to receive a M.S. in Elementary Administration & Supervision in 2000. She was an assistant principal, but most recently, she was named Principal at Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy, before taking the position with UNITY. Since then, Shadwaynn has received a TESOL certificate (Teaching English as a Second Language) from International Open Academy and she also has a Fundamentals of HR Certificate from Alison Learning Online.
As an artist, Shadwaynn has a history of singing since she was little. She sang with All God’s Children: The White Family, which consisted of her father, mother, and siblings. They recorded several gospel albums and performed with artists such as Jesse Dixon, Shirley Caesar, The Williams Brothers, Canton Spirituals etc… They toured all over the Midwest. She and her sisters then formed the group “Milenia”. It was during this time period that she recorded and sang background for the artist formerly known as Prince. They performed on the Jay Leno Show and were featured in the video with Prince and Angie Stone entitled, “You Make My Sunshine”. As a result of this experience, Shadwaynn wrote and published her book, “Purple Reigned on Me: Former Prince Background Singer Tells Story of Life & Inspiration”.
The Artistic Program & Training Coordinator is a great position for Mikki because she is able to mesh her educational experiences with her God Given Talents & Abilities, artistically speaking. She is married to Derek Curry II and has a son and grandson.
Fun Facts about Mikki:
- 1986 Miss Fort Wayne Black Expo
- 1988 Miss T.E.EN. Indiana
- First solo was in second grade, “My Country Tis of Thee”
- Niyoki is her sister
- Loves karaoke
- She used to Model
- She is Professional Development Facilitator/Curriculum Writer
- She was on a commercial and billboard for Tower Bank in the 1990’s
- She won 2 Anthony Awards from Fort Wayne Civic Theatre in “Rodger’s and Hammersteins: Some Enchanted Evening” and “Ain’t Misbehavin”.