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ACE Faculty

NAME: Sara Toruno-Conley

COLLEGE: Los Medanos College

TITLE: Assistant Professor

DEPARTMENT: English

EMAIL: storuno@losmedanos.edu

INVOLVED WITH ACE SINCE: 2010

ACE COURSES TAUGHT/TEACHING: English 90 (Integrated Reading and Writing)

REASON FOR BECOMING INVOLVED WITH ACE:
I’ve always been interested in learning communities, how helpful and encouraging they are to students (especially students who may be the first in their family to attend college), so when presented with the opportunity to join the ACE learning community, although I had no experience in teaching for such a program, I couldn’t resist.  Through faculty discussion and research I’ve found that students who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds often have a more difficult time completing their community college education, and what helps them the most is a structure of support from both faculty and other students that is much more difficult to receive if not part of a learning community.  ACE sounded like a great program to not only engage students in the material but give them that extra support they may not otherwise receive. 

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:
I received a BA in Literature and Writing from Cal State San Marcos and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside.  I’ve been a writer since the age of seven when I wrote my first poem, which is why I went into the creative writing program at UCR—it’s been my passion.  Although I studied mainly creative writing—fiction, poetry, non-fiction—I’ve always enjoyed academic writing and have come to recognize it as a crucial skill in a student’s academic and future career.  The ability to communicate eloquently, creatively, and thoroughly through written form is a skill many students lack; the inability to develop one’s ideas through analysis and synthesis is often what holds students back from passing courses they need to graduate.  For these reasons, among others, I went into teaching, the teaching of academic writing (college composition as well as basic skills).

After graduating from UCR (2006), in the fall of 2006 I landed an adjunct teaching position at Modesto Junior College where I taught English 101 (College Composition).  From there I went on to teach basic skills at San Jose City College and eventually, in the fall of 2007, Los Medanos College, teaching developmental English and college composition.  In the fall of 2009 I was hired full time at Los Medanos College. 

I currently serve on three committees at LMC: the Developmental Education Committee, the General Education Committee, and the Academic Senate.  Alongside committee work, I try to participate in teaching communities whenever possible.  I enjoy professional development that is focused on improving student outcomes through new and innovative pedagogy.