Click here for photos of the university scholarship winners – Jodi Lawn and Gracie Gersbach with Tania Fitzgerald from Jellinbah Mining.

Two talented Emerald students have been announced as the first recipients of university scholarships established by Jellinbah Mining with the support of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

Jodi Lawn (Emerald State High School) and Gracie Gersbach (Marist College) who both completed Year 12 in 2025, will each receive a $14,000 scholarship from the Jellinbah Mining to support them in their first year of university studies.

Both students are interested in pursuing careers in the resources sector on graduation.

Jodi is undertaking a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) at the University of Southern Queensland and excited to receive the scholarship and build a connection with Jellinbah.

“In addition to the scholarship funds I am excited about the vacation placement work at Jellinbah, which will give me valuable industry experience,” said Jodi.

“I want to be part of the next generation of engineers helping to modernise the resources sector particularly with the use of emerging smart technologies,” she said.

“I’ve grown up in this area and seen firsthand how important the resources industry is to our community and I want my work to contribute to its progress.”

Gracie will start a dual degree, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Science at James Cook University later in the year.

“My goal has always been to contribute to the Central Queensland mining sector, just as my parents have done,” said Gracie.

“This scholarship means I can confidently relocate to Townsville and focus on my studies at JCU,” she said.

“The scholarship has also inspired me to continue promoting STEM pathways to youth in the Central Highlands community.”

Tania Fitzgerald, Manager, People and Culture, Jellinbah Mining said the scholarships had been established to encourage local students to enrol in degrees related to the resource industry and achieve their university dreams

“We understand it is a difficult time for local families as their children leave home to pursue university studies,” said Ms Fitzgerald.

“These scholarships will help Jodi and Gracie to focus on their studies and ease financial pressure on them and their families,” she said.

“Jellinbah Mining is locally owned and proud to support these talented young women.  We look forward to providing them with paid vacation employment during the university breaks to give them some real-world experience in addition to the scholarship funds.”

The university scholarships application and award process was managed by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) in partnership with the Jellinbah Mining.

“We were impressed with the number of applications for the two scholarships,” said Ms Fitzgerald.

“It shows us young people in the region are keen to get the qualifications they need to enter the resources workforce which plays such a big role in our community,” she said.

“You could say the future is looking bright – for Jodi and Gracie and for our industry.”