Cannon received her associate’s degree from Chapman University in Orange, Calif. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from UNC, studying linguistics and Hispanic linguistics with a minor in women’s and gender studies in 2014.
Cannon credits her studies at UNC in helping her have a better understanding of different cultures and how they play a role in public policy.
“Two professors stick out to me who had major impacts on me — Richard Vernon and Michele Berger,” she said. “I had professor Vernon for Portuguese, and he taught me very useful and constructive language tools. Professor Berger taught courses on feminist theory and was also a very creative person.”
As a student, Cannon caught the attention of her professors. Sharon James, a professor in the Department of Classics, said she remembers Cannon taking her course “Women in Ancient Greece” in spring 2013.
“Cannon was an excellent student. It was a large lecture class, and I could always rely on her both to answer questions and to also ask questions that were thoughtful and thought-provoking,” she said.
As a friend, Cannon also left an impression on fellow students she met during her years at UNC.
Angelica Arnold, now a graduate student at UNC, said she got to know Cannon when they both took a Spanish class.
“She was fluent in Spanish, so we studied together after almost every class,” she said. “After finding out we were both transfer students, we became very close.”
