Hi Folks, my name is Taylor Cannon and I am originally from Huntington Beach, CA. I currently live in Banning, CA (commonly referred to as "The Pass" region since the geographical area is situated between San Gorgonio and San Jacinto Mountain ranges.) after residing in Ukiah, CA within beautiful Mendocino County from 2014 to 2021; and Arcata, CA in Humboldt County from 2011 to 2014. As with many folks, the unforeseen impacts of COVID-19 were a push factor for me to be closer to family for support, along with greater job opportunities.

I started teaching with Mendocino College in the spring semester of 2015 shortly after receiving my master's degree in Sociology from Humboldt State University. I teach Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Race & Ethnic Relations, and Marriage & Family Relations for Mendocino College; in addition to serving on the Student Learning Outcome Team (SLOT), and previously serving on the college's Academic Senate from 2017 to 2021. I tend to think that you lead by example, coming from a place of genuine interest and empathy to help others achieve their goals, and I like to think of myself as a Polymath (feel free to google this word if it is unfamiliar, it was to me the first time I heard and saw it).

For my educational history, I received my associate degree for transfer (ADT) from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA back in 2003 and completed my bachelor's degree in sociology, with cum laude Latin honors, from UCLA in 2005. Throughout my college career I was a working student balancing the reality of working 30-40 hours a week alongside the rigor and high expectations of success in higher education that I placed upon myself. When I finally fully decided to wholeheartedly pursue higher education after some floundering in my first year at the community college, I set out on a path of absorbing as much knowledge and information I came across. I quickly learned I had missed out on many books I should have read in my K-12 education due to the education track I was placed into and began playing what I call today "intellectual catch-up." This fueled my passion for learning and led me to transfer to UCLA. I would have never expected that I would attend UCLA out of high school, but what a difference the community college makes for personal growth and development. Because of these experiences, I am very passionate about teaching at the community college and helping educationally historically excluded student groups achieve their academic, personal and career goals.

After receiving my bachelor's degree, from 2005 to 2011 I worked for Pacific Life Insurance company in their Retirement Solutions Division, Operations department. I initially began with Pacific Life by providing customer service to both clients and sales representatives in their call center before being promoted into their training department. Within a year and a half, I became the Training and Development Coordinator tasked with new hire orientation and curriculum development, alongside ongoing employee training to improve job performance and operational outcomes. However, seeing that the corporate life was not as personally rewarding as education, I returned to graduate school in 2011 to complete a master's degree for teaching sociology with an emphasis on social and ecological justice. I completed my master's degree in sociology from Humboldt State University (HSU) in 2014, along with working with various student groups and campus committees to advocate for student's rights and social justice initiatives. During my time at HSU, I worked as a part time employee for HSU's institutional research department, combined with manual labor on a professor's property in the rural regions of Humboldt (Kneeland to be specific). My master thesis research focused on first-generation transfer students in public higher education and their formation of self, and received the 2013-2014 Patricia O. McConkey Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Sociology.

In 2016, I received the Part Time Faculty Mendocino College Professional Excellence Award for being a resource to students, actively involved in campus events and connecting students with library and support services. In 2019, I was nominated by the college's academic senate for the Hayward Award in Excellence from the ASCCC. This award is given to faculty who are committed to the fundamental principles of the California Community Colleges mission, serving the college by participating in professional and student activities, as well as serving to empower students from diverse backgrounds and experiences. In 2021, I received the Individual Mastery Award in College Leadership for Mendocino College at the annual eLumen Conference, for shifting the culture of SLO assessment at Mendocino College.

In short, as a sociologist, educator, researcher, and lifelong learner, I am dedicated to both access and equity in all I do, and truly enjoy sharing the various ways that sociological theory, methods, and research can offer empowerment to learners through an awareness of institutional structures and their own agency to create the changes they want to see.

My research interests include: Inequality & Social Mobility, Social & Ecological Justice, Equity & Inclusion in Education, Critical Pedagogy, Andragogy, Self in Transitions, Identity & Intersectionality Theory, Contemporary Social Theory, Social Research Methods, Evaluation & Assessment, Reflective Composition, Ethnography, Universal Design Learning Principles.

My personal interests include: Live Music, Books, Disc Golf, Gardening, Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking.

Thanks, just a little bit about my own Sense of Self and my pedagogical stance in teaching and learning. If you'd like to chat sometime, my email is: tcannon@mendocino.edu