Shanica Adkins
Shanica was born in Milwaukee, WI on May 5, 1988. She was born and raised in Milwaukee, and she attended Christ Memorial Lutheran School and then Bradley Tech High School. At Bradley Tech, she wasan honor roll student and a member of ROTC. She graduated from Bradley Tech in 2006 and then went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She received a full tuition scholarship from the PEOPLE Program, a pre-college program that she attended every summer while in high school. While at UW-Madison, she worked for the PEOPLE Program as a tutor, office assistance and residential dorm counselor. She was also working at the Waisman Center as a clerical assistant. She worked to support herself and her family.
She was also doing her field placement at Gateway CSP, which is affiliated with the Mental Health Center of Dane County. She wanted to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children and individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses, and she chose the field of social work as the avenue to do so.
Her activities at UW-Madison include University Gospel choir, CeO Program, PEOPLE Program and the Wisconsin Black Student Union. She was due to graduate with her Bachelors degree in Sociology and Social Work/Social Welfare in May 2010 in hopes of one day being able to practice psychotherapy. Shanica received a letter from UW-Madison accepting her into the Graduate Masters of Social Work program there.
Shanica valued relationships with family and friends. In college, she made many friends and was a model citizen. Family was the most important thing to Shanica. She traveled back home to Milwaukee on holidays and whenever she was needed. She was kind, loving, compassionate, friends and always there for those she loved. Her favorite past times included watching Martin, volunteering, going to the gym and spending time with friends and family. Her favorite quote was, “If at first you don’t succeed, get up and try again.” Shanica was a good role model, showed leadership and took pride in everything she did. She was very self-driven and determined to succeed. She had a smile that would brighten up your rainiest day.
On Thursday, December 31, 2009 her life was taken. Her family and friends will miss her presence dearly.
UW student killed by driver fleeing police
An excellent student
by Jesse Garza of the Journal Sentinel
A University of Wisconsin-Madison student was killed and her high school sweetheart critically injured early Thursday when the car they were in was struck by an SUV fleeing Milwaukee police.
Shanica Adkins, 21, a senior majoring in social work, was on her way back home to see her family when the car driven by her boyfriend was struck about 2:30 a.m. at N. Sherman Blvd and W. Center St.
Adkins had been home since Dec. 22 but went back to Madison on Wednesday afternoon to take care of personal business, said her mother, Kimberly Wade.
Adkins and her boyfriend, identified by Wade as Donta Brown, graduated from Bradley Tech High School in 2006, Wade said.
"I would describe her as anything you can ask for in a daughter," Wade said.
"Shanica was sweet and caring, the ultimate role model," she said. "She was the oldest, and I wanted all her siblings to follow in her footsteps."
According to Wade, Milwaukee police and a Milwaukee County medical examiner's report:
About 2:30 a.m., officers tried to pull over a Mercury Mountaineer at W. Center and N. 35th streets. The vehicle was missing its front license plate.
The vehicle fled, and officers initially pursued it but then stopped. A short time later, the officers saw that the westbound SUV had run a red light at Center and Sherman and had struck the westbound Geo Prizm being driven by Brown.
The driver and a passenger of the SUV fled, but the driver was arrested a short time later. The passenger was still being sought by police late Thursday. Adkins was pronounced dead at the scene, and Brown was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, where he was in critical condition.
An excellent student
Adkins, called "NicaBoo" by her friends, is survived by three sisters and one brother.
She was raised on Milwaukee's north side and was an A student from elementary school through high school, her mother said.
"She was very driven," Wade said. "I didn't really have to force her or encourage her."
While in high school, Adkins enrolled in ROTC and worked with children as a volunteer tutor. In college, she began cooking, calling her mother frequently for tips, Wade said.
"We'd be back and forth on the telephone two, three times a day," she said.
"She'd call and ask 'How do you make this?' and I would give her lessons over the phone.
"Then she'd call me back for the next step."
Her daughter was planning on becoming a social worker after graduation in May. While in Madison, she was an intern, working with the developmentally disabled, Wade said.
Adkins brought gifts for her family when she came home for Christmas, and they spent time playing Monopoly, watching movies and talking. She baked a caramel cake for her mother and helped her with Christmas dinner, Wade said.
"Whatever I needed her to do she was right there," Wade said. "I was really fortunate to have that time with her."
Tom Kertscher of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
