Katrina Leclerc

Vancouver-based Katrina Leclerc graduated from Global College in 2016 with a BA in Human Rights, then completed her Joint Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2020. She is now a PhD candidate at Saint Paul University in Ottawa.

“I’ve always been very interested in human rights, civic engagement, and just generally understanding how people treat one another,” Leclerc said.

In 2014, Leclerc began volunteering with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) in New York City, a coalition of over 100 women’s and youth-led organizations that works with the United Nations, governments, and local organizations from around the world to advance human rights, gender equality, peace, and security. She is now GNWP’s Program Director, overseeing a team of staff and travelling to 30 countries where GNWP operates.

Global College helped prepare Leclerc for the demanding role. “It gave me the opportunity to better understand the dynamics that exist in the human rights world, outside of my close circles,” she said.

An award-winning peacebuilder and published author, Leclerc has worked both within and alongside government. Her resume includes the Senate of Canada (as an advisor to Sen. Marilou McPhedran, former Principal of Global College), the Embassy of Canada to Côte d’Ivoire, UN Women, and several advocacy-oriented non-profits.

Leclerc, who is bilingual, became interested in human rights at a young age. Her mother managed the provincial school district’s newcomer and refugee program.

We had a lot of newcomers who came from Francophone countries in Africa, and so many of my friends were refugees themselves,” Leclerc recalled. “That sparked an interest in me. I really wanted to look at the human angle of things.”

A Global College field course brought her to the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. “That experience was very valuable to me,” Leclerc said.

Her academic development was also assisted by attentive professors. “They genuinely care about the students that are there, and want to work directly with them,” Leclerc said.

After completing her PhD, Leclerc plans to return to the academy to teach.