Dani McArthur (Year 6/1981, Canada)
Dani, graduated from Pearson in 1981 and went on to study at Trent University for her first degree in Economics and Development studies. To her surprise, life and work led her into the teaching profession where she has happily spent 34 years working as an instructor and teacher-trainer in the field of English as a Foreign Language. She completed a Master of Education degree at the University of Victoria, and has worked in 12 countries on four different continents teaching, training teachers and fulfilling her dream: to live and work in different parts of the world and try to know it well. Most recently, she has worked in Cambodia and Malawi as a volunteer teacher-trainer, implementing play-based and project-based learning programs. Dani has two children who have been her best teachers about life: Annika (28) and Nicholas (24), who are both going to school in Victoria. Dani will be completing her second year as an alum in residence in March 2018, working as the librarian for the College and volunteering 5 hours a day of individual tutoring for students.
Raquel
Moya Agudo (Year 06/1981, Spain) – 15 Jan – 11 Feb, 2018
Raquel attended the
College from 1979 to 1981 and, after recently retiring from her 36-year career
as a flight attendant and occasional translator, is looking forward to sharing
her “energy and optimism to help spread the values that makes Pearson College
and the UWC movement so beautiful and greatly special.”
After
graduating from Pearson, Raquel studied Translation at the University of
Granada then Spanish Linguistics and Literature at Autonoma University in
Madrid. Around the same time, she started working as a part-time flight
attendant for Iberia Airlines. Raquel is very active and loves to read, paint
in watercolors, and to“try to write short stories”.
“I
am very happy and grateful for the opportunity of being part of the Pearson
community again, 36 years after I graduated”.
Albert
Lluis Viñas (Year 24/1999, Spain) – 22 Jan – 12 Feb, 2018
Albert, originally from
Barcelona, Spain, has been a business and IT consultant for more than
eleven years. Upon his
graduation Albert returned to Barcelona to obtain his Undergraduate Degree in
Business Administration and MBA from ESADE.
After
having worked in two different consultancies, he cofounded Enzyme Advising Group.
The Group started off working via Skype and ended up creating a company which
now employs more than 50 professionals. After more than four years working as a
manager and COO he decided to quit and travel the world for a bit.
During
this sabbatical he travelled solo in 7 countries for a total of 5 months and
pursued a couple of long, lost hobbies. One of them was to teach himself how to
create realistic drawing with graphite and the other one was alpinism. He has a
personal museum at home through his artwork and has completed several
commissioned drawings. Regarding mountaineering, he has been up to 6200m and
his plan is to ascend Dhaulagiri (Nepal, 8,167m, 7th tallest in the world)
before he is 40. Right now he works as a freelance online consultant for several
companies and loves spending his spare time reading, training and drawing.
During
his stay here at Pearson College UWC, Albert is looking to offer some insight
on presentation skills, creativity sessions, project management, realistic
drawing and mountain/survival skills. He will try set up workshops with
students and staff in a way that are engaging and inspiring. He is looking
forward to engaging in other activities that he has not thought of right from
the start.
He
is hoping he can give a bit of perspective on what life after Pearson College
UWC might be like and give students tips on how to explore avenues that might
not have crossed their minds. As an alumnus he knows how it feels like to have
too much on your plate, so he is hoping to create a space where creativity and
ideas can flow. If he can inspire at least one student to unlock their
potential, then the experience will be worthwhile.
Charlotte Gowdy (Year 22/1997, Canada) - Jan 15-29, 2017
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| Charlotte Gowdy |
Pearson College UWC was for Charlotte, as it is for many students, a profoundly life-changing experience. It was her experience in the college’s drama club that opened her to the possibility of pursuing a career in theatre. She recalls her chemistry teacher saying to her after seeing her perform in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible on the Max Bell stage, “you are very bad at chemistry but you are a really good actor.” It meant a lot. The support she received from various teachers and friends, in conjunction with the principles of peace, diversity, and understanding that were instilled through her College experience, have continued to serve as foundational pillars throughout her life and career.
Aside from acting and directing, Charlotte is also a committed teacher and mentor. She is a part-time Professor of Acting at both Queen’s University and Fanshawe College, and frequently leads workshops and masterclasses where she specializes in physical theatre, clown, movement for actors, Greek Tragedy and Shakespeare. She has worked with students of all ages and abilities, and finds profound joy in helping people let go of inhibitions, manage nerves, find their voice, and bring their unique spirit to life in front of an audience.
During her time as the Associate Artistic Director of the Thousand Islands Playhouse, Charlotte spearheaded several outreach programs within the local community. In 2013 she designed and implemented an immersive theatre training program for at-risk youth, and in 2013/14 she raised funds to create two live theatre shows which toured to more than 75 schools throughout the province. These experiences in particular reinforced her belief in the power of theatre to empower individuals, to unite communities and to motivate positive social change on a regional, national and global scale.
When she is not busy making theatre Charlotte enjoys training for and occasionally racing in triathlons. She also writes poetry, plays violin semi-professionally, and plays ukulele totally for fun. She is a certified Reiki healer, volunteers at her local yoga studio and is slowly working toward a degree in English Literature (entirely online) through the University of Waterloo. She is active in promoting environmental sustainability through her commitment to a plant-based lifestyle and through her volunteer work at Cedar Rowe farm sanctuary.
Charlotte is delighted to be returning to Pearson College this January and looks forward to sharing her skills and passions with students, especially as they prepare for oral exams and for One World 2017. She is particularly grateful for the opportunity to experience life in a tiny-house and to reconnect with the entire Pearson community as an alumni-in residence. For old times’ sake she may even take a plunge in the bay!
Emmy Chahal (Year 36/2011, Canada) - Jan 30-Feb 12, 2017
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| Emmy Chahal |
Emmy attended Pearson College UWC from 2009-2011 and is incredibly passionate about the United World College (UWC) movement and deeply grateful for her experience at Pearson. She is also a recent alum of UBC Okanagan - graduating with a B.A. in Cultural Studies and a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies as a recipient of the National Entrance Scholarship at UBC. As an aspiring educator and mental health advocate, Emmy believes that wellness needs to be an important priority at UWC schools and beyond. She is so excited to share her enthusiasm for pastoral care, holistic well-being, and compassion towards ourselves and others at Pearson this winter. It is a dream come true to return and learn together with the community again.
Emmy is also a qualified yoga instructor with a specialization in trauma sensitive yoga. She has facilitated yoga classes for the last four years with mainly student populations and in corporate settings as well as hosted a Women’s Circle. During her time at UBC, her research interests were in gender education for elementary school aged children and in embodied pedagogy (incorporating yoga and mindfulness into Humanities and Gender based classrooms).
Some of Emmy’s other passions include: being outdoors and adventuring in the stunning nature of BC, helping refugee families settle in Vancouver, salsa dancing, serving on the BC selection committee for UWC, traveling as much as possible, writing poetry, and spreading wellness.
Emmy is delighted that mental health has become an important area of focus for the UWC movement and is inspired by the work being done at Pearson to foster balance and health. She hopes to share her own lived experience as an alum integrating back into the world after graduating, giving students a glimpse into her first five years post-Pearson years. The transition from UWC to post UWC endeavors can be challenging and Emmy is excited to do whatever she can to help.
The connections Emmy forged during her time at UWC has been immensely impactful and she is still in touch with many of her fellow Pearsonites, hosting them often at her home in Vancouver. She is so grateful to have the opportunity to be back at the magnificent campus of Pearson College UWC, participating in the community in a new way.
Trevor Corkum (Year 18/1993, Canada) - Feb 13-Mar 25, 2017
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| Trevor Corkum - Photo credit: Gustavo Espinola/Focal Journey |
Trevor is an award-winning writer, global educator, researcher,
and consultant. He's a graduate of Simon Fraser University (BA, English),
UBC (MFA, Creative Writing), and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
(OISE) at the University of Toronto (MA, Adult Education and Community
Development). His professional career has lead him to a number of senior roles
in international education in universities across Canada, supporting
and developing internationalization, international recruitment, and global
engagement strategies. More recently, he served as Director of Research and
Communications at the British Columbia Council for International Education
(BCCIE), where he supported BC's provincial internationalization efforts,
programmed and managed Western Canada's largest international education
conference, spearheaded a provincial awards and professional development
program for international educators, and piloted programs to support the
reception of international students in rural and small communities across BC.
He has conducted workshops and spoken at conferences around the world on a
range of international education topics. His academic research
explores the migration and settlement experiences of LGBTQ+ international
students and the experiences of queer newcomers to Canada. Among a number of
volunteer and professional leadership positions, he's served as Chair of the
Canadian Higher Education Committee (CHEC) and as a member of BC's Joint
Federal-Provincial Immigration Advisory Committee, and has had the great
privilege to sit on the Ontario UWC Selection Committee for two years.
Currently, through his company One World, he conducts research and consults for
clients in the government, postsecondary, and non-profit sectors.
In the literary arena, his fiction and nonfiction have
been published widely, garnering nominations for major Canadian literary
awards, such as the McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize, the CBC Prizes
in both Fiction and Nonfiction, the National Magazine Award for Fiction, and the
Western Magazine Award for Personal Journalism. His essays and reviews appear
regularly in national publications. His novel The Electric Boy is
forthcoming with Doubleday Canada.
During his time at Pearson, Trevor will serve as
writer-in-residence. Among other planned activities, he is looking forward to
supporting the work of English faculty, conducting student fiction and
life-writing workshops, and facilitating campus discussions around global
mobility, identity, and belonging.
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