STUDENT SPOTLIGHT - Grade 11 LCI student eyes a career in the Canadian Armed Forces

It’s pretty unusual for a Grade 11 student to have a career path mapped out.
But for Lethbridge Collegiate Institute’s Xander Russell, a career in the Canadian Armed Forces is solidly in his future.
“So, I grew up in a military household,” said Russell. “My dad's been in, so I've kind of seen how career goes in this sense. I've been around military figures, going to bases with him and going to the armories with him. When I was younger, I got into cadets and I realized this is what I want to do is a passion of mine. And so, I got in right after my 16th birthday back in November.”
In late April, Russell will begin basic training in CFB Suffield. Following basic training, he will work for the army in Lethbridge before being shipped out to Shilo, Manitoba for various training courses Upon completion, Russell will work full time in Shilo until September, when he will return to LCI for his Grade 12 year. He plans to graduate high school after first semester next year before heading to Ontario to complete his Military Police Training and begin his career.
“Getting in early definitely helps advance my career,” said Russell of his decision begin the process during his Grade 11 year. “By the time I'm 17, I'll most likely be posted somewhere else, because I graduated at 17, and it'll expand further with me having higher ranks and having a lot more opportunities within the Canadian Armed Forces.”
Being able to get deployed easier due to his early entry could lead to faster promotions within the ranks, he added, which could quickly move him along to his ultimate goal.
“My goal is to become a military police officer,” said Russell. “That's what I want to do. I want to be a cop since I was younger, I just wasn’t sure what kind and when. I found out when I was young that military police were a thing, and that's immediately what I knew I wanted to do.”
Russell’s military journey has already begun right here in Lethbridge with the 20th Independent Field Battery, RCA.
“I'm in the artillery right now, but my ultimate goal is to move from the artillery, go to Ontario and become a military police officer, do all my training there,” he said.
The next stage in that process is heading a little further north in Alberta.
“My first step is basic training, which from what I'm told is held in Edmonton this year. I'll be leaving on April 27, and then I will come back for about a month and do full-time work here at the armories in Lethbridge, and then I'll be gone for roughly two months in Shiloh doing other training for the artillery.”
With a career firmly in his sites, Russell has also been keeping up with his studies as a high school student and is accelerating his courses in order to have everything completed by the time he departs for basic training. 
For any fellow students looking to follow a similar path, Russell has a little advice.
“Maybe it's not right for you joining right at 16, especially if you haven't been around that experience, as it's tough,” he said. “The military is meant to break you in and build you back up. That's their whole goal. So, if you don't have that mindset and have been around people with that mindset, maybe it’s not the best thing. But right at a high school, it's always a great opportunity, especially if you're willing to travel. If you really want to make friends, it’s a big brotherhood and sisterhood in the army. And, like I said, you get to travel everywhere and do so many activities that in just normal civilian life you would not be able to do.”
In the end, Russell is exciting to experience the challenges that lie ahead.
“I'm looking to see how hard I can push myself,” he said. “I want to see how determined I am and overall. I want to have people, in a sense, look up to me because of how young I joined, and see that it is possible to achieve those goals at such a young age, instead of having to wait it out.”
And if a long-term future in the armed forces isn’t in the cards for youngsters coming right out of high school, Russell added there are other benefits to getting involved. 
“For schooling, if you join, they send you to school if you want to go to get your degree or diploma, and they pay for it, which is what an awesome benefit of the Canadian Armed Forces because of coming right out of school, you become an officer with higher salary.”