In an article published in the most recent edition of IB World, International Baccalaureate's magazine, a long-time IB alum talks about the breadth of the innovative curriculum and how it led to a career that included providing legal aid to "the man on the street."
Peggy Ray is congratulated by Lord Mountbatten on collecting her IB diploma in 1971.
Righting wrongs
The grounding she gained at an IB school in Geneva drove this alumna to make her mark in family law
As Peggy Ray and 11 classmates collected their diplomas on September 1971 – “well done, my dear,” said Lord Mountbatten as they shook hands – they were at the forefront of a revolutionary, and epoch-defining, educational experiment that would change their lives for good.
“That ceremony marked the end of a full-on two years of the IB at the International School of Geneva, but an experience that reinforced my approach to thinking to this day,” she says.
Peggy has been a successful solicitor based in London, UK, for nearly 30 years and has won a number of awards for her pioneering work in family law, including UNICEF Child Rights Lawyer of the Year in 2001 and Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year in 2005. She believes her lateral approach to solving problems stemmed from her years studying the IB in Geneva, but admits it wasn’t easy once she had the diploma in her hand.
“A number of universities turned me down because they didn’t recognize the IB as a credible program. It was an unknown qualification at that time and no one had heard of it. In fact, one institution in the UK told me that they didn’t believe I had a strong enough command of English.”
Born in South America, Ray traveled the world as a child, following her father’s work as an economist. It was only after he landed a job at the UN’s International Labor Organization that Ray ended up at the International School of Geneva. “I have many fond memories from my time there – the range of nationalities and the enthusiastic teachers, particularly. I remember Mr. Leach taught us history and as a special treat at the end of term he would read a chapter from The Lord of the Rings, which I thought was the most boring thing I’d ever heard!
“But what really attracted me about the IB was the breadth of the curriculum and I particularly enjoyed the philosophy and ethics-based subjects like Theory of Knowledge and Modern European Minds.”
Ray wasn’t always on the path to a career in law; after gaining a history of art degree from Sussex University, she felt her career options were limited. Her involvement in town planning campaigns sparked an interest in law and, after a short stint working with a lawyer at the Citizens Advice Bureau, she returned to Sussex University to get her postgraduate degree in law. Thirteen years after receiving her IB diploma in Geneva, Ray set up her own legal practice, Goodman Ray, in 1985.
“I was very keen on providing excellence to the man on the street who might not be able to afford a lawyer,” she says. “These days we are a specialist family law firm. Family law is the most discretionary jurisdiction so I have the opportunity to be quite creative with it – which gives the most satisfying results.
“I’m looking forward to turning 60 next year and curtailing the workload a little,” Ray continues. “I’d love to do some more traveling and as my fellow IB peers have scattered across the globe, I’m sure I wouldn’t be short of a few places to visit.
IB grads from Notre Dame Prep, join Ray and fellow alumni in the IB alumni network, by visiting the blog at blogs.ibo.org/alumni, where you can learn more about this growing community.
Follow Notre Dame at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.