Madison Pearlman

Madison Pearlman graduated in June 2013 with a 4-year BA in Human Rights and Global Studies and a minor in conflict resolution studies. She then went on to obtain her Masters of Science in Refugees and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and came back home to Winnipeg to pursue her law degree at the University of Manitoba. Currently, Madison is a lawyer at PooranLaw in Toronto, a social justice firm with a focus on promoting inclusion in law, policy and in the community.  

Madison’s passion for human rights and social justice began in high school. When she became aware that Global College offered a degree that would foster and expand her knowledge and understanding of human rights, law and politics, she knew it was the place for her. Being at a downtown campus, Madison was quickly exposed to and encouraged to participate in many important community initiatives – both on and off campus. Madison has true compassion for others, and has always been most inspired and motivated by the people she meets and works with, and the communities that have welcomed her.

Community became an everlasting theme of Madison’s time at Global College. She was actively involved on the Global College Student Advisory Committee (“GCSAC”) – where she ended up making connections with colleagues that would turn into life-long friendships. On GCSAC, she worked with students in various years and academic programs, facilitated seminars on current and complex events and met human rights practitioners and advocates from around the world.

Global College fosters a true sense of community and community-minded individuals through discussion-based classes, dedicated space for students to meet up between and after classes, and local and international practicum opportunities. This allowed Madison to become more engaged and informed on multi-faceted issues affecting different communities in different places, to challenge and expand her own views, and ultimately find her own voice on issues that she connected to most:  access to justice, inclusion and equality and newcomer issues.

The research-based courses and research assistant positions offered through Global College inspired Madison to pursue graduate studies and use research and writing as advocacy tools, which she continues to use and refine to this day.

Now as a lawyer, I apply the foundational critical thinking and advocacy skills that Global College’s multi-disciplinary degree helped me to cultivate. Through my experiences at Global College, I learned a career in human rights was not only possible but it is also a personal and professional journey - one that is always evolving, shifting, challenging and rewarding.