Taylor Parker

Meet Taylor! Our geochemist specialist, and proud Santa Cruz local, joined the team full time two years ago after completing a six-month internship. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in environmental science at the University of Notre Dame, Taylor wanted to come back home. The Hermosa project was a great opportunity to start her career and she joined as an intern with the Environment and Permitting Team.  

During her internship, Taylor developed a strong interest in geochemistry as she enjoyed learning how chemical analysis could guide mining operations and improve their efficiency. South32 has encouraged that interest by supporting her through her master’s degree with a research project based on Hermosa, with a focus in geochemistry. Taylor is now in her second year of her studies while working full time as a geochemist specialist.  

Growing up in Nogales, Taylor brings a unique perspective to her role by deeply caring about the community’s well-being and ensuring that her efforts have a meaningful lasting impact. Working for this project has exceeded her expectations, and values the work being done at Hermosa, “It’s a great opportunity to be able to support a mining project that is environmentally conscious.”

With her background in environmental sciences, mining was not in her career plans, however, when talking about what made her want to work at South32 she says, “I wanted to come back, and South32 Hermosa is going to lead the way in sustainable mining while advancing the clean energy revolution.” 

Today, Taylor provides technical support for environmental permits and studies on operational geochemical management, manages geochemical data and oversees geochemical fieldwork. She says one of the biggest challenges about working for the first time in mining is not knowing enough, “It was intimidating at first, because I was not familiar with mining, but now, I enjoy every day when I get to learn and work with different departments.”  

Beyond her role at South32, Taylor loves animals and enjoys spending time at the zoo, playing with her cat, and having fun with her loved ones.

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