Skip to main content

Mandi Taylor: Focusing on School, Family and Her Future



Mandi Taylor took a leave of absence from college for 17 years for a very good reason: to raise her six children. She had to undergo open heart surgery in 2012 to fix a previously undiagnosed birth defect—a hole in her heart that was the size of a quarter. She experienced some complications and had to have a second surgery in 2017.

Now that Taylor’s kids are all attending school themselves and her health is in a good place, she decided she was ready to go back to school. But her finances are tight, so she applied for a scholarship at Salt Lake Community College. She was thrilled to discover that she was awarded the Paul & Kristina Cardall Family Scholarship. “The scholarship allows me to focus on my degree and my family. It is a great blessing. I can’t even describe how grateful I am,” she says.


Taylor, who is a first-generation college student, hopes her children will learn from her example and eventually go to college themselves. Her oldest daughter has already started planning a career in psychiatry, and her oldest son wants to be an airline pilot. She is encouraging her kids to start their college experience at SLCC. As she explains, “SLCC provides so much flexibility, and the teachers are the best.”

Taylor is studying to be an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, and she loves the ASL program at SLCC. “Most of the professors here are from the deaf community, so I am learning from people who have first-hand experience with the language,” she says. She ultimately wants to focus on interpreting in mental health and trauma recovery settings, saying, “I want to be there to facilitate communication in these fields where, I know from my own experience, things are stressful enough without a language barrier.”


About the Paul & Kristina Cardall Family Scholarship

Paul Cardall is a pianist, composer and producer, and he also happens to be an SLCC alumnus. He and his spouse, Kristina, created a scholarship at SLCC to help students who have suffered from congenital heart disease. As someone who has dealt with heart issues, Paul Cardall wanted to help other people with the same condition. To read more about Paul Cardall and his philanthropic pursuits, check out this article about him in SLCC Magazine.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

SLCC's Undergraduate Annual Research Conference Registration Deadline

Salt Lake Community College’s annual Undergraduate Projects, Performances, Presentations, and Research Conference (UP3RC) is set to take place on April 2, at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, offering students a chance to showcase their academic achievements, fostering a culture of intellectual exchange.  The UP3RC is an annual event designed to celebrate and highlight the academic accomplishments of undergraduate students. It provides a supportive environment for students to share their work, hone their presentations skills, receive constructive feedback, and engage in meaningful discussions with their peers and faculty. All SLCC departments and programs, including faculty and staff, are encouraged to support and visit the day of the event. Students with their poster from last year's UPRC event “The goal of this event is to make sure every school and student is given the opportunity to participate,” says Dr. Kamal Bewar, interim director of the STEM Learning Center, who is chairin
Post a Comment
Read more

Rev Up Your Future at SLCC Annuals Hop into College

SLCC West Valley Center will be opening its doors on Friday, August 2, from 6-9 pm for their annual lowrider event that celebrates the automotive culture and welcomes current, past, and future Bruins into the SLCC community. This unique event allows lowriders to showcase their vehicles and for spectators to witness the creativity, craftsmanship, and passion that goes into a lowrider car. From the sleek custom paint jobs to the impressive hydraulics showcased at the hop-off, attendees get immersed in the vibrant culture created by SLCC West Valley’s community. Beyond the car show, Hop into College provides prospective students and their families the opportunity to explore SLCC, engage with their future peers, staff and faculty and obtain valuable insight into the degrees and programs offered. Furthermore, the community is provided with countless beneficial resources not only as an SLCC student but as a community member. Whether interested in learning more about the lowrider community o
Post a Comment
Read more

HB 261 and HB 257 Frequently Asked Questions

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students: The Utah Legislature recently passed two bills that significantly impact higher education:  HB 261  Equal Opportunity Initiatives and HB  257  Sex-Based Designations for Privacy, Anti-Bullying, and Women’s Opportunities. Salt Lake Community College is deeply committed to our students, faculty, and staff. We strive to be a place where all are welcomed and respected. While there are many unknowns about the ultimate effect these bills will have on some student and staff support programs, be assured that SLCC will maintain an environment where all can find success and feel a sense of belonging. In the coming months, college leadership will work to gain clarity and determine the changes necessary for legislative compliance. We will also share this information as it becomes available.  We realize that during this time, some in our college community may feel unsettled and stressed. We encourage you to make use of available SLCC resources designed to support y
Post a Comment
Read more