A for All Profiles

13 Mar: Think Simple | Think Elegance | Think Distinguished with Lydia Short:Owner/CEO TTT Event Planning, LLC

Whether you are having a destination wedding on a tropical island of the Caribbean, or in a Luxury Hotel or Mansion in New York, London, Paris, Jordan, Dubai, or just an intimate celebration in a Boutique Hotel overlooking snow covered peaks of Aspen, Lydia Short is your Planner and Designer.​ Born and raised in Guyana, Lydia moved to New York in 1988.  She is the Owner and CEO of  TTT  Event Planning, LLC; a full…

07 Mar: She Rocks! Meet Melissa Enmore: Co-Founder of The Backpack Project

A Guyanese native, Melissa was born and raised in Georgetown where she had the privilege of attending St. Gabriel’s Primary School and Queen’s College. After immigrating to Toronto in 1997, Melissa attended the Downsview Secondary School and subsequently the University of Toronto, where she obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. She currently works as a Research Coordinator at Women’s College Research Institute’s Familial Breast Cancer Unit and is pursuing a Master of…

Michelle Kandasammy

07 Mar: She Rocks! Meet Michelle Kandasammy, Director/Co-Founder – The Backpack Project

Meet Michelle Kandasammy, Co-Founder  of  The Backpack Project, a non-profit initiative aimed at promoting health and education among Caribbean students between the ages of 5 to 18. This project, which was started in December 2008, assists students of impoverished families to pursue their educational goals. A born and bred Guyanese who wears Guyana’s flag and rich heritage proudly, Michelle attended two of the best schools in the country, Stella Maris Primary School and Queen’s College….

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05 Mar: Spotlight on Academics: Research Student Dara Bobb-Semple

Future Scientist, Stony Brook University Class of 2013 Majors: Chemistry; Chemical & Molecular Engineering UNCF-Merck Science Initiative 2012 Award Recipient Dara Bobb-Semple has many accomplishments at Stony Brook – from twice being recognized for achieving a 4.0 GPA, to receiving the MARC award in fall 2011, to being elected to Tau Beta Pi Honor Society (December 2011), to recently being named a recipient of a national award, the 2012 UNCF Merck Undergraduate Science Fellowship! But…

26 Feb: Vesta Lowe: Multidimensional Woman – Teacher/Singer/Musician/Folk Song Collector

Vesta Lowe (1907 -1992) was a multidimensional woman-teacher, singer, musician, folk song collector, and rural development professional. She was a pioneer in so many aspects of life. She was among the first batch of teachers to graduate from the Teachers’ Training College. She is considered to be the first Black woman to graduate from Tuskegee Institute with a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Home Economics. Lynette Dolphin described Vesta Lowe as “the pioneer in the field…

13 Feb: Women in History: Viola Victorine Burnham, Former First Lady, Vice President & Deputy Prime Minister of Guyana

Born on November, 26 1930 in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Viola Victorine Burnham was the youngest of eight children of schoolmaster James Nathaniel Harper and his wife Mary (née Chin).  Viola attended the All Saints Scots School from which she won a Government County Scholarship to the Berbice High School. After her father’s death the family decided to move to Georgetown where she entered Smith’s Church Congregational School.  There she  won a Government County Scholarship to …

11 Feb: She Rocks: Actress, Storyteller Patricia Gomes is a Special Person

  Born in Guyana in January 1923,  Patricia Gomes has purposefully dedicated more than half of her life to theatre and along the way has been quite accomplished in other areas. She has, as they say, “done it all” – from stage plays to storytelling to dancing her life away, much to the enjoyment of the audiences she thrilled.  In 2010, Ms. Gomes was named by “Special Person”  by Kaieteur News, and in an interview…

08 Feb: Justice Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré – First Black Judge Appointed to the Bench in Quebec, Canada

The daughter of Guyanese immigrants, Justice Juanita Westmoreland-Traore is the first Black Dean appointed to a law school (University of Windsor Faculty of Law) in Canada’s history, and the first Black Judge appointed to the Bench in history of Quebec. Judge Westmoreland-Traoré, was born on March 10, 1942 in Verdun, now part of Montreal, Quebec.  She studied at Marianopolis College, and subsequently obtatined a law degree from the Université de Montréal (1966) and a doctorate…

Romala

30 Jan: Romola O. Lucas, Attorney & Co-Founder of Caribbean Film Academy (CaFA)

Guyanese-born, Romola O. Lucas, is an attorney and budding entrepreneur.   She is a founding shareholder of The Lucas Law Firm, PC, currently providing services in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Prior to founding the firm, Romola was employed by the real estate group of a major law firm in Philadelphia, where she  worked on commercial real estate financing, sales and acquisitions, on behalf on developers, REITs and major banks. Romola’s practice focuses on providing legal services…

28 Jan: She Rocks! Juneann Lewis – Motivating & Empowering the World to “Live Wealthy Always”

As women, we’re used to wearing many hats and Juneann Lewis is doing just that, while living out her dreams. She is a Screenplay/Song Writer, Actress, Realtor and Motivational Speaker. As a child growing up in Guyana, business and entertainment has always been in her blood. She loved ballet and modern dance and entered every school play or recital she could. She also wrote short stories and entered many competitions and won. Juneann moved to the USA at the…