When Jack Pemberton received the news that he was the recipient of the 2023-2024 McKenna School Entrance Scholarship, he and his parents were jumping up and down and cheering because they knew how much help the scholarship would offer. 
 
This scholarship awards $10,000 to entering students intending to major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and is renewable for three years ($5,000/year). Donors helped create the prestigious scholarship and other awards for PPE students.

“Besides the amazing financial aid it provides, for me the biggest part is the accomplishment and honour of being chosen by the program,” says Pemberton. “That accomplishment provides me with that further drive to push myself in all of my courses and to further prove to myself and show everyone that they made the correct decision in choosing me for the scholarship.”
 
Pemberton is from Falmouth, NS and has long been interested in studying political science and philosophy. 
 
Before university Pemberton worked in the office of his local MLA, Melissa Sheehy-Richard, and says the opportunities it provided to get out into the community and directly help people, including during the devastating flooding in his community in 2023, was something that made a big impression on him.
 
“The feeling that comes with knowing you are out there, directly tackling issues and able to do some good in the world is what makes politics good,” says Pemberton. 
 
Although it was the PPE program and its interdisciplinarity that “sealed the deal” when selecting a university, Pemberton’s interest in Mount Allison actually began in Grade 8. That year, he and classmates were on their way to Fredericton to participate in a national science fair. One of their teachers, Rob Davies (‘96), decided on a stop in Sackville to show his students his alma mater. 
 
“It was people like Mr. Davies and other Mount Allison alumni I met in my community that really influenced me,” says Pemberton. “It was incredible how excited they were to share their experiences and the fun they had at this school. Even so many years after they left Mount A, the fact that they could still remember so much stuff and have so many great memories played a big part in why I wanted to come here.”
 
Pemberton also wishes to acknowledge the impact of his Avon View High School Grade 12 teachers Mr. Reagen O’Hara and Ms. Cindy Campbell for helping him develop his passion for politics, philosophy, and global history, and providing him opportunities for learning beyond the classroom, including participating in a national public policy conference and a study abroad trip. 
 
One term into his time at Mount Allison, Pemberton says his experience has been amazing. He’s enjoying his classes and having a great time living in residence and studying in the R.P. Bell Library. He has joined the Students’ Union and the PPE Society and is trying to meet as many people as possible. 
 
Right now Pemberton is enjoying his winter term course line-up of International Relations, Logical Reasoning, Microeconomics, Greek Gods and Goddesses, and Psychology. His long-term plans include attending law school. 
 
March 1 is the deadline to apply for the McKenna School Scholarship and other Mount Allison entrance scholarships. For more information visit Scholarships and awards for first-year students.