Kezia Chinian is in her final year of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Guyana. She did not initially set out to work in oil and gas but chose her path after seeing the sector’s rapid growth.
“Petroleum was not my first choice, but I landed in the engineering field because of the growing industry in Guyana,” she shared during a February appearance on the INFORMal podcast at the Guyana Energy Conference.
She is the founder of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Student Chapter at the University of Guyana. Kezia first learned about SPE through technical talks hosted by its Georgetown Section. “Most of the times, I was the only university student attending the technical talks,” she said. “So when the opportunity arose to establish a club, we followed through.”
The chapter was launched in 2023 and quickly became active. It hosted technical sessions on topics such as subsea systems, cementing, and well design. “We advanced to our mentorship program, which I think is a huge success,” she said. The group also organized company visits, including one to SLB Guyana, where 13 female STEM students heard from women professionals in the industry.
“We received good feedback. The students were inspired and wanted more of those activities,” she said. Kezia said the chapter also received technical support from companies like Baker Hughes and Halliburton. “They did a CV workshop, interview skills, technical talks.”
SBM Offshore, ChampionX, and ExxonMobil also backed the chapter’s events. “Without these companies, most of our initiatives would not have had a lot of success,” she said. The mentorship program alone matched over 20 professionals with more than 60 students.
She said the mentors included both Guyanese and foreign nationals. “We had a mix, and the Guyanese professionals showed us that we can thrive in this industry.”
A new board took over the chapter in January 2025. Kezia is now helping with the transition. “They are doing an excellent job. I went through some of their activities. They have amazing things planned.”
The new focus areas include sustainability, energy transition, and support for girls and women in STEM. Kezia highlighted the chapter’s outreach to 30 students from hinterland regions. “These students are underrepresented. Access to resources is limited. So we brought them here in town.”
They plan to expand that outreach. “We would like to increase our topics on sustainability, innovation, energy transition.”
A research competition is also planned. “One of the topics I’m excited about is harnessing oil revenues for bioethanol production in Guyana,” she said. Other topics include carbon capture and environmental awareness.
She wants more students to consider careers in energy. “The energy sector is not just for engineers. We’ve had students from economics, biology, chemistry,” she said. One mentee, a non-engineering student, secured an internship based on support from the program. “That really stood out to me.”
Kezia will soon complete her bachelor’s degree. She plans to begin working in the industry while pursuing a master’s degree. “I would like to further my studies while gaining that practical experience.”
She also intends to stay connected to the university. “We received support from industry professionals. Once I’m in a position to assist, I’ll go back and help.”
