All it took was a mock election in his grade 6th class for Armon Jefferies, of Halifax’s North End, to know a career in politics and law would be in his path. Now a second-year Political Science major at Saint Mary’s University, Armon is one of less than 50 students selected this year into the NATO Field School and Simulation Program, an intensive political science program based in Latvia, Italy, and Belgium.
“I’ll get to learn about the political processes that drive military decisions and diplomacy and how that looks in different countries,” says Armon, who is also a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. ‘I would love to stay in the military, ideally as a legal officer in the future, so I can practice military law.”
“To be a legal officer is a very specialized field that I can ideally come to influence in my career. There is a lack of Black people represented anywhere in the military, and especially in this field.”
Helping make Armon’s transition from Citadel High School to university in 2022 smoother, was the PREP Academy, which launched in April 2021 to inspire and prepare African Nova Scotian students for postsecondary education and beyond. According to Armon, PREP equipped him with the unwritten rules of university and access to career mentors and culturally-informed supports.
“They were able to help me find scholarships, prepare my statement of interest letters, and navigate how to advocate for myself with professors. It meant a lot, but learning it directly from peers in the Black community meant even more because it made things relatable,” says Armon.
“Now that I’m in university and see the lack of African Nova Scotian students, having a group like PREP who reinforces we belong in these spaces is incredibly refreshing.”
