Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | March 15, 2021 | wbjournal.com F O C U S B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R D r. Luis Pedraja may be president of Quinsig- amond Community College, but the choices he makes as head of the Worcester school have impacts far be- yond campus. is is true on any given day, as a non-residential school serving commuter students, many of whom, said Pedraja, work as first responders and in other es- sential workforce fields, but it is especial- ly true during a global pandemic. "Our students are very dedicated, hard working," Pedraja said. "ey're driven, but they also have challenges. ey're single parents trying to work to support their kids while getting an education. ey might be working two or three jobs. ey might be living in situations Pedraja's steady leadership helped in multiple crises BY MONICA BUSCH Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer or taking care of elderly family members that cannot work." Not only did Pedraja's quick and thoughtful responsiveness help his student and QCC as the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on all aspects of society, but he was among the most outspoken leaders in the Central Massa- chusetts business community in the racial crisis that unfolded aer Minneapolis police killed George Floyd in May. His commitment to social justice was the main reason he le the classroom early in his career to become an admin- istrator and later why he choose to work at community colleges, instead of other areas of higher education. "I always tell people that a lot of colleges create barriers. ey're gate- keepers weeding out people who might not belong in college," Pedraja said. "At community college, that's not our role. Our role is to… empower students. We're not building barricades or dead ends -- we're on-ramps." Pedraja, himself a first-generation col- lege student who immigrated from Cuba to the United States as a child, growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in inner-city Miami, knows well the unique challenges many of his students face. But he also knows how life-changing access to higher education can be, especially for those whom it is not easily accessible. Growing up, he said, his parents lost everything when they immigrated to the United States. ey urged him to study hard because education was the one thing that couldn't ever be taken away from him. "I shared this because it's one of those defining moments that affected my per- spective, career choices, and my focus on education," Pedraja said. "And also, what motivates me in my leadership, to help others have the same opportunity that I've had, because education opened up doors for me that I did not ever imagine would be open or even possible. In that way, he said, he views his job as an educator as a chance for him to pay it forward. "I want to serve those particularly who have been le behind, who are under- served, and traditionally been unable to access education, so they can have the same opportunity," Pedraja said. at vantage point bore on Pedraja as he and his team made the decision last March to move QCC's educational programming almost entirely online, and again, later to extend that choice through the entire 2020-2021 academic year -- decisions announced and committed to far in advance of most of the school's peer institutions. While other colleges and universities in Central Massachu- setts debated the relative wisdom and safety of bringing students to campus, and sometimes found themselves forced to backtrack on premature plans as the unsparing coronavirus reared its head in dorms and classrooms, QCC remained steadfast in its decision to keep its com- munity physically separated. "Our students come and go," Pedraja said. "And they're in the community, so they're not only bringing infection to campus. but they can get infected and take it out into the community." In turn, the school began discussing the possibility of going remote as early as January, and moved to set up relief Innovative Business Leader of the Year Dr. Luis Pedraja President Quinsigamond Community College Headquarters: Worcester His birthplace: Cienfuegos, Cuba Man of faith: Prior to pivoting to academic administration, Pedraja was ordained as a minister. PHOTO/MATT WRIGHT

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