Hello world!!!
Hope you and yours are doing well. I'm doing well also, thanks be to God. As most of you may know already, my personal platform as Miss Sierra Leone USA is
advocating for SHERO. Each of the five pillars in my platform are things I believe and live for, hence the reason why I choose to stress on their importance during my time of service as Miss Sierra Leone USA. As previously mentioned, E is for Education. But, E also stands for the advocacy of experience and empowerment. In addition to my SHERO platform, I am
advocating for the recruitment and retention of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
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Safety first - ALWAYS!!!
Mining & Minerals Engineering Student and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson rocking the safety glasses |
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| Mining & Minerals Engineering Student and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson at an underground limestone mine |
Before I elaborate on that pillar of my platform, I'll give you an insight about my daily life. I am currently a student at Virginia Tech with a major in Mining and Minerals Engineering, and a Minor in Women's and Gender Studies. In 2012 and beginning of 2013, I did a co-op to gain knowledge from a wonderful company (Polydeck Screen Corporation) involved with national and international mining companies. If you don't know what a co-op is, I simply define it as an extended form of an internship but one gets to take an academic semester or year off school and work for a company. Usually, the student gets to work with a company that does something related to their Major and career goal, for the purpose of acquiring knowledge and some experience. As you all may know from my previous blog post and if you are connected with me on
facebook, I am currently doing an internship in Kono District, Sierra Leone with Koidu Limited - Part of Octea Mining.
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Polydeck Screen Corporation |
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Polydeck Screen Corporation |
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Polydeck Screen Corporation |
Doing a co-op is not something I had on my to-do list while in college, rather I had internships in it. I came across the opportunity of this co-op when I had initially interviewed for an internship. The company let me know that they are aware that the interview is to hire a summer intern, but ideally they will like to have a co-op instead so that the student can stay longer with them and gain lots of work experience. Few months later, I received an interview offer for a co-op, interviewed again with the same company, and later on received a co-op offer. Initially, I was nervous about the delay this change will make on my graduation period but then I also realized that I cannot give up such a great opportunity. After lots of prayers and seeking advice, I accepted the offer and was set to temporarily move to another state for half a year and start my professional life. Fast forward to August 2013, I'm doing an internship in my homeland, Sierra Leone. Most of the time when people ask me "why mining?" my usual response is that I'm a Sierra Leonean and I have ambitions of working in the nation's mining industry. However, I never envisioned that dream to come so quickly such as having an internship now and not a full-time job in the future. Doing a co-op and internships related to mining reminds me everyday that I made a great decision for a future career that's challenging but also engaging and adventurous.
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Polydeck Screen Corporation |
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student & Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Koidu Limited - Octea Diamond Group |
The purpose of sharing this with you all is because it directly correlates with E (education, experience, empowerment). I truly believe in the power of education, and I am forever grateful to the Almighty for having the opportunity to be formally educated, as well as receiving knowledge from people I cross paths with in life. However, I am also aware that education without experience is worthless. It's not all about theory but also practicality, and putting the knowledge into action. The companies I've worked for and working for so far have provided me with lots of knowledge about the mining, aggregates, and coal industries; in addition, I am learning about what it means to be a professional in an 8am-5pm, 5 days a week job (5 and half days in the case of Koidu Ltd). I am learning about the importance of turning in a perfect project, being accountable for one's work, being a great representative for one's department and the company as a whole, and many more great things. In addition, being a responsible intern and reigning Miss Sierra Leone USA requires fantastic time management, and I have learned to appropriately perform for each role. Though I still struggle certain times, I have become confident in setting my priorities straight and knowing when to say 'yes' and 'no.'
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student & Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Koidu Limited - Octea Diamond Group |
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student & Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Koidu Limited - Octea Diamond Group |
After the completion of these internships, co-op, and my undergraduate degree, I am confident that I will be well prepared for the real world as a working Mining and Minerals Engineer in the near future. In my opinion, I believe that education and experience are synonymous to each other. In addition, I believe that with knowledge received through education and work experience, this will create an empowered professional in the work field! To be empowered means to be confident in one's potential and abilities, and I believe that an educated and experienced individual embodies this fantastic quality. In conclusion, I highly recommend you to keep persevering in whatever path of education you are in. Never give up a great opportunity for experience. Remember that you will mentally gain from an experience, and your experience will also look great on your resume (gotta love a resume booster). For as long as we live, we will learn and keep learning. So be confident in your theoretical and practical knowledge, be empowered, and be an expertise in your chosen work field!
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student & Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Koidu Limited - Octea Mining |
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Mining & Minerals Engineering Student & Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Life at Koidu Limited - Octea Mining |
Have a productive week. Do something wonderful for yourself and someone else!!!
Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA
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