Diamonds Do Good and the Mine Training Society offered good news to five Canadian students at a time when wildfires are causing havoc in their nation: They are the latest winners of $5,000 scholarships.

The scholarship recipients hail from Canada’s Northwest Territories, and all are safe in other parts of the country after having to evacuate out of the area due to wildfires, the sponsoring organizations said in a statement.

The Diamonds Do Good organization has partnered since 2018 with the Mine Training Society on a scholarship program for young people from the diamond mining region of the Northwest Territories to pursue trades training or postsecondary education in business, management, STEM, health care, or mental health. Canada is the third largest producer of natural diamonds in the world.

“We are supported by the natural diamond industry to give back to the very areas where natural diamonds are found,” said Nancy Orem Lyman, executive director of Diamonds Do Good. “We are thrilled to have identified young scholarship recipients who exemplify our mission, especially during this difficult time brought on by the wildfires.”

The five students, who will each receive a scholarship worth $5,000, are:

Monique Chapman has worked in the environment department at the Ekati diamond mine and is now in a specialized master’s degree program in science communication and public engagement. “This will help her serve as an interface between scientific results and Indigenous communities,” said the Diamonds Do Good statement.

Max Dragon, a member of the Smith’s Landing First Nation, is pursuing a bachelor of commerce degree with a specialization in finance and entrepreneurship. His goal is to nurture fellow entrepreneurs who offer sustainable solutions to socioeconomic challenges faced by the community.

Christopher Mathison is a biomedical engineering student who is combining engineering, biology, and medicine to improve health care in the Northwest Territories. He plans on becoming a pediatrician or emergency doctor, two specialties considered a priority for PracticeNWT.

Johanna Stewart’s “work with climate change and wildlife is meaningful and important in promoting sustainable use of the NWT’s natural resources, including diamonds,” according to Diamonds Do Good, which said Stewart “received a stellar recommendation for her work from the manager of the wildlife management division of the government of the Northwest Territories.”

Hayley Tait earned a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in Indigenous people’s health—a much-needed specialty given the shortage of qualified public health professionals who were born and raised in the north. “This is especially important for the communities that surround the Ekati, Diavik, and Gaucho Kué diamond mines,” according to the statement.

Top: Johanna Stewart is one of five recipients of a Diamond Do Good grant for students from the Northwest Territories of Canada. (Photo courtesy of Diamonds Do Good) 

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