Four Talented Post-Secondary Students Awarded Mining Scholarship

Ottawa, ON, November 28, 2025 – MiHR is thrilled to announce the recipients of its 2025 I Chose Mining. Mining Chose Me. Scholarships: Coby Morris, first year student of the College of the North Atlantic Civil Engineering Technology Co-Op program; Jean-Luc Becerra Leclere, third year Materials Engineering student at McGill University; Lauren Coffin, undertaking a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering Co-Op at the University of Ottawa; and Sophie Guerin, taking a Bachelor of Earth Sciences at Laurentian University.

The post-secondary scholarship program launched in 2021 in celebration of MiHR’s 25^th anniversary and to support students in mining-related programs. It has awarded 10 $2,500 scholarships over five fiscal years, plus two additional scholarships in 2025 thanks to funding from MiHR’s coalition of Mining Needs You partners: the Mining Association of Canada (MAC), the World Gold Council (WGC), the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM).

“Thank you to the selection committee for choosing me to receive this scholarship,” said Coby Morris. “The mining industry in Labrador has many opportunities for young Indigenous people like me and I’m grateful for the chance to pursue a mining program and hopefully return to Labrador to live and work, and to also show other young people that there are many different paths to take to work in the mining industry.”

“I am very proud and grateful to MIHR for selecting me for the 2025 scholarship,” Jean-Luc Becerra Leclere said. “Mining is the industry where my career belongs, and I want to thank MIHR for supporting me on this path as I encourage others to join me in this industry filled with opportunities.

“Working in the mining sector has given me the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge, industry experience, and to familiarize myself with industry-standard tools and programs,” said Lauren Coffin. “I am grateful and proud to be a 2025 I Chose Mining. Mining Chose Me. Scholarship Program recipient.”

“The more I learned about mining, the more I saw how it connects everything I care about: science, the environment, and people,” said Sophie Guerin. “It is an industry built on curiosity and collaboration, where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand. Through my experiences in outreach and education, I have seen how mining can inspire others to think differently about resource development and the role it plays in building a better future. I am proud to be part of a new generation working toward a more sustainable and responsible industry.”

“On behalf of MiHR and the Scholarship Selection Committee, congratulations Coby, Jean-Luc, Lauren and Sophie on your well-earned scholarships,” said MiHR’s Executive Director Ryan Montpellier. “These four exceptional students embody the new talent needed to help Canada’s mining industry thrive, bolster Canada’s economy and produce the metals and minerals essential to everyday items and technologies.”

More information about the recipients and the scholarship program can be found on MiningNeedsYou.ca.

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About the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR)

MiHR is Canada’s knowledge centre for mining labour market information. An independent, non-profit organization, MiHR leads collaboration among mining and exploration companies, organized labour, contractors, educational institutions, industry associations and Indigenous groups to identify opportunities and address the human resource and labour market challenges facing the Canadian minerals and metals sector.

For More Information:

William Meyer
Director, Communications and Career Development
Mining Industry Human Resources Council
613.270.9696 x 58
wmeyer@mihr.ca

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