Friday, March 3, 2023
The names of the 23 new beneficiaries of the program, now in its 18th year, were announced during events held in the Departments of Magdalena and Cesar on March 1 and 2. The company continues to contribute to the education of these high school graduates who have excelled academically, with the conviction that education is fundamental to the country’s development.
During the official scholarship ceremony, a panel led by Jose Miguel Linares, company President, and Alfredo Araujo, Vice President of Community and Government Relations, explained the details of the Drummond Scholarship and listened to the stories of some of the young people who have already benefited from the program.
During the heartwarming event, President Linares emphasized: “With great pride, we can say that environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically viable mining has transformed the lives of thousands of families in Magdalena and Cesar, through education.”
This scholarship gives young people the opportunity to fulfill their dream of going to college. It gives them a full scholarship to the program of their choice, in addition to a monthly living allowance. The company, through its Communities and Government Department, provides psychosocial monitoring of the academic process for those just starting their studies, as well as for those who have completed the program, to ensure their success.
The 2023 scholarship winners in the Department of Magdalena were: Karol Dayana Polo Perez from Cienaga; Lorenzo Antonio Aguilar Hernandez and Shirley Fernanda Nieves Martinez from Guacamayal; and Yulianis Paola Perez Sierra from Orihueca, Zona Bananera; Natalia Isabel Daza Martinez from Aracataca; and Jhinet Alejandra Bohorquez Sarmiento from San Pedro de la Sierra, Cienaga.
During the event in Magdalena, one of the beneficiaries of the Drummond 2023 Scholarship Program, Karol Dayana Polo Perez from Cienaga, said: “”Education allows us to move forward, to grow. It allows us to have an impact on other people’s lives and to help our society grow. I accept this scholarship with great excitement and joy, full of dreams and expectations. Today the Drummond scholarship gives me an opportunity to access higher education, something I have wanted my whole life, and that is what will allow me to get the degree I so long for.”
In the case of Cesar, the 2023 scholarship winners were: Valeria Calderon Chinchilla and Marian Isabel Gomez Perez from La Jagua de Ibirico; Dayana Cecilia Sanchez Mercado, Mateo Alejandro Molina Ravelo, Luis Angel Torres Jimenez, Sergio Andres Bonet Uribe and Harold David Canchila Meza from Chiriguana; Indira Rosa Reyes Adechine from Becerril; Luisa Fernanda Diaz Rivera, Laura Angelica Faria Gutierrez, Robert Andres Villero Ramos, Keinner David Perez Sanchez, Caroll Juliana Bugallo Plata and Andrés Mauricio Rodríguez Perez from Codazzi. Alexander David Monsalve Rodriguez from Copey; and Elizabeth Paternostro Osorio and Jorge Camilo Ortiz Borrero from Bosconia.
On behalf of the scholarship winners in Cesar this year, Indira Reyes expressed: “”I want to send a message to all Drummond 2023 Scholarship recipients. We should make the most of this scholarship, no matter what happens. In the same way we won this scholarship, we can hold on to it, and we can be great people in our work and in our personal lives.”
The company selects the students based on the following requirements: Students must have been born or attended all of high school in the respective municipality, and maintained a grade point average equal to or higher than 50% of excellence from sixth grade to the first semester of their last year of high school. They must present a certificate from the municipal SISBEN that the family group is in SISBEN economic level I or 2, or in groups A, B, or C, and also have a minimum overall score of 250 on the ICFES standardized test. Students must also be presented by the school principal as one of the two (2) best high school graduates from the respective school.
This is just one more way in which Drummond reaffirms its commitment to responsible mining, which is reflected in a positive impact on communities through education as a transformational model for social development.