An educator with a passion for inspiring young people to get involved in global issues has been named president of Pearson College.
Désirée McGraw, 45, becomes the first female president in the history of Pearson, which opened its doors in 1974. She will assume her duties on Aug. 1, succeeding David Hawley.
Pearson, located in a waterfront setting in Metchosin, is one of 14 United World College facilities around the globe. The schools are dedicated to bringing students from a variety of backgrounds together for a two-year, pre-university program, with courses covering Grade 12 and a year of post-secondary.
Pearson currently has 160 students from 80 countries.
“It’s the most diverse international college in Canada,” said McGraw, who is from Montreal and speaks fluent French.
“It’s a combination of the international focus, in terms of the student body, but also the focus on solving global problems and doing so by educating and engaging next-generation leaders.”
In 1986, when she was 16, McGraw was part of a cross-country tour with three other young people, speaking to high-school students about peace and disarmament — a tour that included a stop at Pearson College.
Her introduction to the college community Monday featured video footage from that 1986 visit. “Really, since that time of the national speaking tour, I’ve been involved in global issues,” she said in an interview.
McGraw has been a teacher, lecturing on sustainable development and globalization at McGill University. She also worked in public affairs with the Canadian High Commission in London and has been involved with such organizations as Canadian Lawyers Aboard and the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, which she said has a mission similar to that of United World Colleges.
In 2010, the World Economic Forum designated her as a Young Global Leader, and she was named recently by the Women's Executive Network as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. As well, she launched the Canadian branch of former U.S. vice-president Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.
McGraw, who was recruited for her new role at Pearson, has a degree in economics from Concordia University, followed by graduate studies in international relations at the London School of Economics.
She plans to move to B.C. with husband Christopher and sons Jack, 9, and Michael, 4. “Big change for our family but we’re excited. We see it as an adventure.”
The Pearson students will be positive influences for her children, she said. “They’re going to be surrounded by these incredible role modes, these teenagers who are just amazing.”
McGraw said she is eager to start. “I have lots of ideas, I have lots of energy, but first and foremost, I am here to listen and learn.”
In her introductory speech Monday, she told Pearson students that she took the job because she has faith in their power to “change the world.”
The college is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary Aug. 10-14.
This is a corrected version of an earlier story.
