A for All Profiles

22 Jan: Entrepreneur on the Move: Shauntelle Nelson, Founder & CEO – We Telle You

GG Shauntelle Nelson is the Founder and CEO for We Telle You, a designated driver business serving the New York Metro area.  Shauntelle has always been a visionary and an innovator and established this company in response to the tragedies, wrong doings and, especially the fatalities caused by drunk driving over the years. She was astounded by the amount of people who ignore the boundary between right and wrong, so with that she wanted to honor the law…

21 Jan: The Honourable Madam Justice Desiree Bernard: First Female Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice

The Honourable Madam Justice Désirée Bernard, a citizen of Guyana, was born on 2 March 1939. A lawyer by profession, she began her career in 1963 when she attained a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of London.  Qualifying as a solicitor in 1964, Justice Bernard engaged in private practice in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Guyana from 1965 to 1980. During that period, she was appointed a Magistrate (1970), Commissioner of…

17 Jan: Captain Feriel Ally – First Female Grand Caravan Pilot in Guyana

Captain Feriel Ally of the local Air Services Limited (ASL) recently created history on July 12, 2012 when she became the  first female in Guyana certified to operate a grand caravan aircraft.  The daughter of Guyana’s aviation pioneer Yacoob Mazaharally, Captain Ally began her aviation career in 1988 when she trained for, and obtained, her private pilot’s licence in the USA. Following her training, she returned to Guyana and built her hours flying the Cessna 172 and 206, ferrying…

15 Jan: Guyanese Heritage: Actress Melinda Shankar – Making her Mark in the TV/Film Industry

Melinda Shankar (born February 18, 1992) is a talented young actress who is best known for her role in the Canadian teen drama television series: Degrassi – The Next Generation. She was born and raised in Ottawa, Canada to Guyanese parents and has 3 siblings. Melinda started her acting career at age 10 appearing in TV commercials, print ads and some theatre work.  She made her starring mark in 2008 in the 8th season of Degrassi as…

14 Jan: She Rocks! Sonia Godding-Togobo: Documentarian, Director and Filmmaker

Meet Sonia Godding-Togobo, Guyanese-born documentarian, director and filmmaker currently based in the UK.  First migrating to Canada at age two, Sonia graduated from Archbishop Denis O’Connor Catholic High School in Ontario. Sonia has worked in broadcast television for the last decade with broadcast credits in Canada and England.  She has also produced short films in both Haiti and Ghana. In 2001, after graduating from Humber’s Film and Television program, Sonia went on to work in numerous post production houses before…

10 Jan: She Rocks! Meet Abiola Abrams – Author/Certified Wellness Coach aka “The Lifesyle Passonista”

Abiola Abrams is a first generation Guyanese-American author, columnist, speaker, filmmaker and multimedia personality who was raised in New York City. Also a certified wellness coach, Abiola gives heartfelt, no-nonsense, stigma-free advice on self esteem and self worth, body image issues, healthy relationships, mental health, sexual health, and how to live with verve. The first person in her Guyanese family born in the US, Abiola was bullied in her African American neighborhood for being “the…

Ann Divine, Human Rights Ambassador

13 Dec: She Rocks! Ann Divine – Race Relations Advocate/Human Rights Ambassador

Ann is one of the few Black female employees at the senior management level at the Nova Scotia Public Service Commission, and has become a well-known and respected Ambassador for change and inclusivity in the Commission, and her community.  She was born in Guyana and currently resides in Canada. Ann is currently leading a two-year, province-wide, Research Initiative to engage academic institutions, government, businesses and communities in Nova Scotia on Employment Equity Partnership. In addition,…

Optimum Fitness Model Alicia Harris

11 Dec: She Rocks Her Guyanese Heritage: Alicia ‘Smiley’ Harris – Professional Bodybuilder / Fitness Model

Alicia “Smiley” Harris is a Professional Body Builder, born on March 2nd in Wheaton, Illinois. She is a former track star known for her lightning speed on the racetrack, setting records in the 400- and 600-meter sprints. After graduating from college a friend introduced her to the world of Figure and this Pieces Powerhouse has never looked back! Alicia credits  both of her parents for her atlethic genes. Her father was a collegiate basketball, football and track athlete and her…

Gloria_Rajkumar_

09 Dec: Gloria Rajkumar, President & CEO SIMAC, 2011 RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year

Born in Guyana, the seventh of eight children, Gloria Rajkumar moved to Canada after graduating high school. It was an entry-level position in the insurance industry that started Gloria on the path that led to where she is today and she spent the next 19 years climbing the proverbial corporate ladder. Gloria is the President and CEO of SIMAC Canada Inc., an Ontario-based independent medical examination company, primarily serving the auto insurance industry. In 2001 Gloria was involved in…

Tessa-McWatt

05 Dec: She Rocks! Meet Tessa McWatt – Internationally Published Author

Tessa McWatt is an internationally published author  born in 1959 in Georgetown, Guyana. Her family migrated to Canada when she was three, and she grew up in Toronto where she pursued her love of writing and music.  She is the author of five earlier novels; her second, Dragons Cry, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction and the City of Toronto Book Award. As an adult, Tessa worked as an editor in Toronto…