Rick Stiebel/News Gazette staff
A former student at Pearson College has come full circle to return as chief academic officer and vice-president of education and programming.
Pearson College announced earlier this month that Heather Gross will take over as CAO at the United World College campus in Metchosin. She will manage, develop and ensure the delivery of co-curricular programming, and oversee learning through study, service and experience, as well as living together on campus in a cross-cultural setting.
After graduating from Pearson in 1995, Gross, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, earned her bachelor and masters degrees in geography from the University of Alberta. She worked in the field of informal education in provincial parks and museums in Alberta before working at the University of Alberta in student admission and counselling. She returned to Pearson in 2007 to lead students admissions and counselling before accepting the position of CAO.
“When I was a student I imagined being back in a United World College setting one day,” Gross said when asked if she ever thought she would return. “I didn’t know in what role, but I hoped to return to Pearson or any UWC in some role one day.”
Gross believes the challenge in her new role will be to align what the college is doing with its story and purpose.
“It’s very inspiring to be able to articulate what we do, interrogate our practices and assess the impact that has on our students, the local community and beyond,” she said. It’s also inspiring to be in that role and see if I can give back to the community as well.”
Building peace among nations and individuals and reconciliation are other key components of Pearson’s mission, she noted.
Gross thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to engage students in learning about the natural beauty that exists in their surroundings. “One of the things I loved when I was a student here and still do is getting out on the trails and waterways,” she added.
Pearson is one of 17 United World Colleges around the world. The school has about 200 students from every province and territory in Canada and 75 or more nations from around the globe.
For more information, visit pearsoncollege.ca.