{{Short description|British union leader}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Toni Pearce | image = Toni Pearce, 2013 (cropped).jpg | caption = Pearce in 2013 | office = 56th President of the National Union of Students | term_start = 1 July 2013 | term_end = 30 June 2015 | succeeding = | predecessor = Liam Burns | successor = Megan Dunn | majority = 301 (41.8%) | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|04|13|df=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | birth_name = | relations = | alma_mater = Cornwall College | occupation = | profession = | party = | website = }}
'''Toni Pearce''' (born 13 April 1990) is a former President of the National Union of Students in the United Kingdom. Pearce was elected at the 2013 NUS National Conference in April 2013 and re-elected April 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/apr/09/toni-pearce-nus-re-elected |title=Toni Pearce re-elected NUS president |work=The Guardian |date=9 April 2014 |last=Young-Powell |first=Abby |accessdate=14 June 2022}}</ref>
From 2011 to 2013, Pearce held the position of NUS Vice President (Further Education).<ref name="Toni-relected-VPFE">{{cite web|title=Toni Pearce #1 for NUS VP Further Education|url=https://www.facebook.com/toni4vpfe/posts/442610162432574|publisher=Facebook|accessdate=14 June 2014}}</ref> Before that, she was President at the Students' Union of Cornwall College, an institution of Further Education. Pearce was the first ever NUS President not to have attended university.<ref name="THE-nuspreselection">{{cite web|title=Toni Pearce elected next NUS president|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/toni-pearce-elected-next-nus-president/2003074.article|publisher=Times Higher Education|accessdate=14 June 2014|date=9 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="Toni Pearce - Journey">{{cite news|title=Toni Pearce: she flunked her exams – but fought her way to the top to become President of the NUS|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/toni-pearce-she-flunked-her-exams--but-fought-her-way-to-the-top-to-become-president-of-the-nus-8574357.html |publisher=Independent |date=16 April 2012 |last=Garner |first=Richard |accessdate=14 June 2022}}</ref>
==Early life== Pearce attended Cornwall College from the age of 16; however, she was diagnosed with Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Type III, which meant that she missed a large number of lessons whilst in hospital recovering from operations.<ref name=bbcschoolreport>{{cite web|title=Beating the odds to become president of the National Union of Students|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cg41ylwv43pt|publisher=BBC News|access-date=27 March 2014|date=27 March 2014}}</ref> As such, Pearce failed two of her AS levels at the first attempt.
==Political affiliation== During the elections for NUS President (2013, 2014) Pearce stood as a candidate with no official affiliation to a political party. However, Pearce announced in 2013 that she joined the Labour Party.<ref name="Toni Pearce - Journey" />
==References== <references />
{{S-start}} {{S-off}} {{S-bef|before=Liam Burns|years=2011-2013}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the<br>National Union of Students|years=2013-2015}} {{S-aft|after=Megan Dunn|years=2015-}} {{S-end}} {{Presidents of the National Union of Students}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Toni}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at Cornwall College Category:Presidents of the National Union of Students (United Kingdom) Category:Labour Party (UK) people Category:People with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
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