In what used to be known as the Manual Achievement Center (MAC), room 113 at Manual, Taylour Champion teaches the new biomedical pathway for sophomores, juniors and seniors. While this is her second year teaching at Manual, Champion knows the school well. She actually used to be a Manual student herself.
Before she even began thinking about healthcare or teaching, Champion imagined herself on an entirely different path.
“I thought originally that I wanted to be a lawyer when I was in school,” she said.
But after a close friend of hers died from cancer her senior year, she decided to pursue oncology.
“Being there throughout that process and seeing what that was like made me want to get involved and do more in healthcare,” Champion said.
So she decided to become a nurse.“I worked in adult oncology, which was really special,” she said. “It was a job where I focused on taking care of patients that were dying, so I got to spend a lot of time with people in their last moments of life, being there with them and their families, helping them stay comfortable.”
Later, she transitioned into working into pediatric emergency care for Norton Healthcare.
“That was probably the biggest, most consistent specialty I had throughout my nursing career,” she said. “It was really special and constantly changing, which I loved.”
Champion also worked in pediatric forensics for some time. “I took care of all patients that suffered from child abuse or sexual abuse in Kentucky and Indiana,” she said. “It was rewarding, but it’s hard to experience that and then go home to my little girl and it was bad for my mental health.”
Despite the challenges, the experience of working in forensics and educating police officers and different healthcare professionals about pediatric child abuse, especially because it’s something that few people study, sparked her interest in teaching.
“Because I spent a lot of time doing the educational portion of it, I realized that I really loved education,” she said.
Champion has now entered her fourth year of teaching, second at Manual, and one of her favorite parts of teaching is being able to watch her students discover how applicable her lessons are to real life.
“In my first class, Emergency Procedures, students learn how to save lives,” she said. “Heart attacks, diabetes, strokes, those affect all kinds of people from different backgrounds, so this information crosses to every student in my class.”
Champion was even able to see her teaching put to real life when she taught at Central High School.
“They had just completed their Stop the Bleed certification,” she said. “When an accident happened during gym, they did everything they were trained to do before I even got there. They were so professional, I was so proud of them.”
Outside of the classroom, Champion keeps busy as a mom and an avid Netflix lover. “I like everything from cheesy television to dramas, to docuseries,” she said. “I’ve actually just finished Vampire Diaries for the 2nd time.”
If she wasn’t a teacher or a nurse, Champion said her dream job would be a stay-at-home mom. Having recently welcomed a newborn this past June, Champion is now a mom of two.
“It’s really special watching my daughter, Charlie, be a big sister,” she said. “Getting to know a whole new human and watching them grow is really cool, and he’s learning about things that he enjoys and different sounds and music that he likes.”
As her second year at Manual continues, Champion is looking forward to growing the medical pathway program and shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals.
“It’s really cool to see students discover their passion for medicine,” she said. “I can’t wait to see where they go from here!”
