Our Stories
Scholarships to Support Mining’s Next Generation
January 23, 2024
At B2Gold, we’re proud of our diverse workforce. We look for opportunities to increase female representation in traditionally male dominated mining roles and eliminate barriers that hinder equal prospects, both in our company and in the mining industry generally.
Through the Young Mining Professionals Scholarship Fund (YMPSF) we were recently able to provide scholarships to female students looking to develop careers in mining.
Late in 2023, Mariya Shintassova became a recipient of the B2Gold Women in Exploration Scholarship. The scholarship was awarded through the 2023 YMPSF, which has awarded a total of $210,000 to students pursuing mining-related programs at post-secondary institutions across Canada.
We invited Mariya to our offices in Vancouver to meet members of our Exploration team, and to get an insight into exploration work at B2Gold. During her visit, we asked her to share some of her experiences and delve into what inspired her to consider a career in mining.
Mariya is welcomed to B2Gold’s offices in Vancouver by Vic King, SVP Exploration (l) and Andy Brown, VP Exploration (r).
Q. Mariya, congratulations on being awarded the B2Gold Women in Exploration Scholarship! What impact will this scholarship have on you?
A. I am so grateful for this scholarship, thank you all so much! I wanted to take a modelling/mining software course or workshop but didn’t have the additional means. With this scholarship, I can finally take the course which will further advance my professional knowledge and better prepare me for the start of my career in the industry post graduation.
Q. What course are you studying and where?
A. I’m currently taking MSc in Earth Science at SFU and will be graduating at the end of 2024.
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in mining?
A. The Mining Engineering and Geology programs at my university back home was new, and they were trying to recruit students to the faculty. I didn’t know much about the industry or the program in the beginning, but the info sessions sparked my interest and I had a hard time choosing between mining engineering and geology so decided to do both, which turned out great because they two are so relevant to each other. I feel like it gives me a great advantage to be able to understand both worlds and the potential impact on each other with any operational decisions. I really enjoyed learning both sides and geology is everywhere.
Q. What aspect of your studies have you enjoyed the most?
A. I really enjoyed mining and was amazed by how things came together from a discovery, and how much time, effort, resources etc. that were required to build a successful mine.
Q. Once you have graduated, how would you like to see your career develop in the mining industry?
A. I think I would like to dig deep into Geotechnical engineering, and also want to get some work experience and see how textbook translates into real work. I had some internship experience back home in Kazakhstan while attending university. It would be great to gain some Canadian experience and gain the international perspective, and if geology and mining bring me home, that would be really cool as well.
Q. Mining has typically been a male dominated industry. What would you say to encourage other young women considering a career in the mining industry?
A. I think mining is way more diverse here in Canada than back home. There basically aren’t any females in the industry in Kazakhstan, even though the natural resource sector is big. I think there is a lot of education needed in encouraging young women who are interested in the industry and present potential road maps/career paths.
Mariya, congratulations on your scholarship! We wish you every success in your studies and developing your career in mining!
