‘Diamonds Do Good’ Scholarships Come to Wildfire-Hit Region

Five students from Canada’s Northwest Territories have won $5,000 each in scholarships from Diamonds Do Good and the Mine Training Society.

All of the winners are currently safe from the devastating wildfires that have consumed much of the remote region, as they are currently living in other parts of Canada, the two organizations said Monday.

The partnership between Diamonds Do Good — which provides grants on behalf of the natural diamond industry — and the Mine Training Society began in 2018. Together, they award scholarships to young people living in the diamond mining area of the Northwest Territories. Scholarship winners can pursue either vocational training or post-secondary education in business, management, health care, mental health, or the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

“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.

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The five winners are:

• Monique Chapman, who worked in the Ekati diamond mine’s environment department and is now pursuing a specialized master’s degree in science communication and public engagement.
• Max Dragon, a member of the Smith’s Landing First Nation, who is pursuing a bachelor of commerce degree with a specialization in finance and entrepreneurship.
• Christopher Mathison, a biomedical engineering student who is working to improve health care in the Northwest Territories.
• Johanna Stewart, whose work with climate change and wildlife has helped promote sustainable use of the Northwest Territories’ natural resources, including diamonds.
• Hayley Tait, who has a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in the health of Indigenous people.

Main image: Monique Chapman (l), and Johanna Stewart (r). (Monique Chapman/LinkedIn, Diamonds Do Good)