Indigo Jade Shanice Fort

ON JULY 26TH, GOD CALLED ONE OF HIS BRIGHTEST STARS HOME. INDIGO JADE SHANICE FORT WAS BORN JANUARY 2ND, 1993 IN GREAT FALLS MONTANA TO NINA JEAN FORT AND VERGALE E. WILLIAMS. AFTER FREQUENT VISITS TO HER GRANDMOTHER, BETTY GENE FORT, MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA SOON BECAME THEIR HOME. INDIGO DEDICATED HER LIFE TO CHRIST IN 2001 AT MT. OLIEVIA M.B. CHURCH.

INDIGO GRADUATED FROM COLBERT COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL IN 2011 WITH HONORS. MS. FORT GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA EARNING A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN SOCIOLOGY AND PURSUING DOUBLE MINORS IN LEGAL STUDIES AND FAMILY STUDIES. HER UNDERGRADUATE YEARS WERE MARKED BY AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE. SHE PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, AND SHE WORKED DILIGENTLY IN THE OFFICE OF DIVERSITY UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF MRS. JOAN WILLIAMS. IN 2015, INDIGO PURSUED A MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FAMILY STUDIES, WHERE SHE EARNED A GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP WITH THE UNITED METHODIST CHILDREN’S HOME. HER WORK AS A KNABE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ASSISTANT DEMONSTRATED HER DEDICATION TO NURTURING AND SUPPORTING OTHERS. IN 2015 SHE WAS AWARDED THE UNA PROMISING ALUMNI AWARD. SHE ACHIEVED HER M.S. IN 2018 AND EMBARKED ON A PH.D. IN HUMAN AND SOCIAL SERVICES AT WALDEN UNIVERSITY. SHE WAS RECOGNIZED IN 2020 WHEN SHE WAS HONORED WITH THE INAUGURAL YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD FROM UNA. INDIGO WAS SELECTED TO SERVE AS AN ADVISORY COUNCIL JUNIOR MEMBER OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND ENGINEERING AT UNA. THESE ACCOLADES CELEBRATED HER EXCEPTIONAL CAREER, PERSONAL GROWTH, AND HER SIGNIFICANTCONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVIC AND CULTURAL SERVICE.

IN THE COMMUNITY SHE WAS INVOLVED IN THE EMERGE THROUGH THE SHOALS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD FOR COLBERT COUNTY SCHOOLS, TEDXWILSONPARK, SHOALS BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS AND MUCH MORE. INDIGO’S PASSION WAS WITHIN NON-PROFIT AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AS SHE HELD THE POSITION OF 211 INFO & REFERRAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR AT UNITED WAY AND WORKED BRIEFLY WITH THE SALVATION ARMY AS THE WHERE SHE DEALT FIRSTHAND WITH THE HOMELESS. SHE WANTED TO EXPAND HER REACH TO STUDENTS AND WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT SERVING THE NWSCC STUDENTS AND A FIERCE ADVOCATE FOR THE PATRIOT ADVOCACY AND RESOURCE CENTER (PARC) PARTICIPANTS AND SERVED MANY OF THE STUDENTS AS A STUDENT SUCCESS COACH. SHE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRANSITIONING CAREERS. DEALING FIRST HAND WITH THE UNDERPRIVILEGED, SHE WAS EXCITED TO HELP FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS AND OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY. SHE HAD JUST ACCEPTED AND BEGAN A POSITION WITH H&H PROPERTY MANAGEMENT WHILE PURSUING REAL ESTATE FULL TIME WITH ENTINT REALTY. MS. FORT’S INVOLVEMENT IN DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC. STARTED WITH THE DELTA GEM PROGRAM, WHERE SHE WAS AWARDED A SCHOLARSHIP. AS A FRESHMAN IN SPRING 2012, SHE PLEDGED, JOINING THE XI PHI CHAPTER. DURING HER TIME WITH XI PHI, MS. FORT SERVED AS VICE PRESIDENT AMONG OTHER ROLES. UPON TRANSITIONING TO THE MUSCLE SHOALS AREA ALUMNAE CHAPTER, MS. FORT SERVED AS 2ND VICE PRESIDENT AND AS AN ADVISOR FOR THE XI PHI CHAPTER. HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MEMBERSHIP INTAKE PROCESS FOR SEVERAL LINES IN BOTH XI PHI AND MUSCLE SHOALS AREA ALUMNAE CHAPTERS SHOWED HER COMMITMENT TO NURTURING LEADERS WITHIN THE SORORITY. MS. FORT’S LEGACY IS ONE OF PROFOUND IMPACT AND INSPIRATION.

HER LIFE WAS A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP, COMPASSION, AND RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE. SHE WILL BE DEEPLY MISSED BY HER FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND ALL WHO HADTHE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING HER. SHE LEAVES BEHIND TO CHERISH HER MEMORIES HER MOTHER, NINA FORT, MUSCLE SHOALS, AL; FATHER, VERGALE WILLIAMS, EAST ST. LOUIS, IL; HER FUR BABY, CLARKE FAITH; SIBLINGS JA’NASIA FORT, GADSDEN, AL; KRYSTAL WILLIAMS, KANSAS CITY, KS; CIERRA (ANTIWON) WILLIAMS-SALMOND; EAST ST. LOUIS, IL; CHRISTIAN NICOLE, GROSSE POINTE PARK, MI; MIRANDA GRANT, BROWNING, MT; BRAYDENE OPHEIM, EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL; VERGAL WILLIAMS II, GREAT FALLS, MT; DAPHNE MARTINEZ, GREAT FALLS, MT; LATRELL DESHAW, GREAT FALLS, MT; AND KAMARI WILLIAMS, EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL ALONG WITH 3 NIECES AND 4 NEPHEWS, A HOST OF AUNTS, UNCLES, AND COUSINS WITH A HIGH REGARD FOR HER GREAT UNCLE, WILLIE JAMES (DINO) FORT, TUSCALOOSA, AL, AND MANY FRIENDS AS SHE NEVER MET A STRANGER.

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