“I was the first front-end loader operator to join the company,” she recalls proudly. Today, she works as an operator at the Caletones Foundry.

What is your job? What is your daily routine like?

At 6:20 I take the bus and at 7:45 we are getting our turn. From there we go, together with my colleagues, each one to his position, which are the different places where we have to go. Sometimes I have to check the belts, the chutes, cleaning the loading and that is what our day is about. I have to make sure that nothing falls into the belts that could break them, dirty them or cover the grill, that no iron or large stone passes through that could cover it.

We clean and we also shovel, which is one of the things that was hardest for me, because I had never picked up a shovel in my life and I feel proud to say that now I can, because I didn't do it before. And now I pick them up and go, nobody tells me that I won't be able to do things, because I can.

There are five of us working in the team. Two are in the room, the operator and the assistant, who look at the plants and are dedicated to checking the system on the computers, making sure that the temperatures do not rise, the indicators, the process itself. And we are the foundry operators, who focus on the belts, chutes and grills, making sure that they do not get clogged, broken, cut or damaged.

How did you come to El Teniente?

I come from a mining family. My father and my uncles are miners and I have always liked mining. I took a course to operate front loaders and I was always applying for El Teniente, until I got it and that means a lot to me, because in addition to the prestige that Codelco has and being in a large company like this, it is a support for me, for my family and, in addition, contributing a grain of sand to Chile.

I used to work for a contracting company, at the Filter Plant. I was there for two years and I was the first front loader operator. Now I sometimes have to work with them and be a foreman in some areas.

I really like everything related to machinery. I have the license that Codelco gave me, so I also do things with the mini-loader.

What has El Teniente meant in your life?

Experience. A lot of experience and it has also given me values. In addition to showing that women can do things that we previously thought we couldn't. Here my colleagues have given me their experience and lessons to move forward.

My family, my children, are proud of me, because at one point I thought I wouldn't be able to do it, but having this drive taught me that I am capable, that I can do it, and I moved forward and got to where I am.

What does it mean to you to work for a company like Codelco, which delivers its surpluses to all Chileans?

Yes, it makes me very proud and fills me with happiness. And I also explain this to my children, and especially to my daughter, telling her that if she wants to, she can do it and she will feel fulfilled, just like I do.