United World Colleges
Pearson College Years 39 and 40 at One World 2014
Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Pearson College) is a United World College found on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada in a small town called Metchosin. The mission of the UWC movement is to make “education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” It was at Pearson that I first studied abroad.
Pearson College on a map
My roomates and I in my second year at Pearson
Pearson College is a very unique place hosting about 200 students from 80 different countries all completing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. The college represents a plethora of firsts for me. Besides being my first time studying abroad, it was my first time having to travel outside of the country by myself and book all of the necessary things for travel. It was my first time living with three other people from three different countries. It was my first time meeting people literally from all around the world and my first time hearing about countries like Burundi, Yemen or Zambia. It was also my first time having my identity challenged. Before leaving home, I’ve never had to defend what it means to be Bahamian or a part of the Caribbean. While that particular experience was not the most comfortable of experiences, it made my Bahamian pride grow and it made me care so much more about the needs of my country.
Fellow Pearsonites and I at first time modeling
Pearson College was also the first place that I met so many multilingual people. I’d always found languages to be something easy for me, it was never something I had to stress over. Going to Pearson and meeting people who were multilingual completely blew my mind and drove me to want more. I always told myself that I wanted to speak more than one language but living in a community rich with languages and cultures sparked something in me that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get rid of. My experiences at Pearson cause me to want to use languages almost daily on my long-term job and to be able to travel the world and host different people from around the world in my country. Although I don’t know exactly how I’m going to do this, I am considering working in the tourism and hotel industry in the Bahamas and also in the banking industry, areas where I am bound to work with international clients.
Afro-Carib Students at One World 2014
My friends and I relaxing on a surprisingly warm Spring day
Pearson College Years 39 and 40 along with some of our teachers and staff at Metchosin Day