COVER GIRL: Singer Lisa Punch on the cover of Guyana Entertainment Magazine (GEM)

Windee Algernon will go down in history as Guyana’s first female army Colonel and the first full-serving female member of any of the Caribbean’s armed forces to hold such a rank.  Colonel Algernon was promoted in the Guyana Defense Force from Substantive Lieutenant Colonel to this male dominated rank in January 20, 2012. Reflecting on this milestone, Colonel Algernon told reporters that she has been in the army since 1980, served in a number of appointments and underwent several training…

Congratulations to Dr. Paloma Mohamed, poet, playwright & educator on being named one of four honorees for the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence (Arts & Letters).  Dr. Mohamed  is currently the Director of the Centre for Communication Studies at the University of Guyana. The Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards is the only programme in the Caribbean which seeks out and rewards outstanding nominees in Arts & Letters, Public & Civic Contributions, and Science…

I joined Rotary because I wanted to give back in a more structured manner and the idea that I could do so together with other professionals appealed to me. From the 25 of us who first joined Demerara, 21 years ago, I only knew one of the other members well. Since then there has probably been at least another 60/70 persons who have been members of our club and I can honestly say that in…

Avril Anande Trotman–Joseph is a Guyanese-born accomplished attorney-at-law, whose career spans over twenty-five years.  She is admitted to practice by the Bars of Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Grenada and the British Virgin Islands.  A Founding Partner of Chapman and Trotman – Georgetown, Guyana, she was the President of the Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, and the Tourism Association of Guyana and has been a consultant for USAID, UNICEF and the OAS…

Vogue.com has named Letitia Wright as one of the actresses to watch in 2018.  According to the fashion and beauty website, the Guyanese-born, London-raised actress will conquer the silver screen alongside Chadwick Boseman in 2018’s Black Panther before reprising her role as Shuri in Avengers: Infinity War. Expect her to swap out her superhero duds for pieces from Burberry and Prada. Back in February we shared that Letitia landed a role in the 2018 Marvel Comics…

In 1958, Martha Ruby Holland (nee Nicholson) founded the first Ruby Holland School of Music  in British Guiana, South America. She was an avid believer in music education and the art.  She believed that everyone possessed creative talent and spent her life providing artistic opportunities for students regardless of their age, social standing or financial means. Martha’s approach to teaching music (the piano) was unique and quite enriching. She offered her students a rich array…

Founder & CEO of the award-winning global organization, Women on the Crossroads, Sherry Ann Dixons, was recently admitted to The Black 100+ Hall of Fame. The Black 100+ Project is an Exhibition of the top 100 Black Achievers in Modern Britain. Guyanese by birth, Sherry is highly respected in the ethnic community in Britain and developed a following of dedicated readers with her health, lifestyle, beauty and relationship articles  She is very passionate about raising the…

“The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind.”   These are the words of actress, Marlee Matlin, and Marcia Shury is determined to live in this truth. “Silent Hearer” chronicles the story of Marcia S. Shury as her happy childhood was turned upside down due to the onset of a sudden partial hearing loss.  The book details how she rose above the many obstacles and frustrations that she encountered in school, in…

Before there was American Idol, there was Pat Cameron, who as host of the influential radio show, `On Show Young Guyana,` helped give recognition to the musical abilities of many young Guyanese. Pat was born on October 3, 1924 to Lilian Gertrude Christiani and Henry Perot Christiani. A Bishop’s High School graduate, she  worked in the Guyana Civil Service and was trained as a Social Welfare Officer in Jamaica. She entered the world of broadcasting…

Born on October 31, 1993 in Georgetown, Guyana, Letitia Michelle Wright is an UK-based actress, known for her roles in Glasgow Girls, My Brother the Devil and Urban Hymn. Migrating to London with her mother at the age of six, Letitia first fell in love with acting at her Finsbury Park primary school when she got the opportunity to play a young Rosa Parks onstage. “I felt so comfortable,” she recalls. “I even did the…

Soyini George is the designer behind the Washington, DC, handmade baby brand, Yinibini Baby. As a little girl growing up in Guyana, Soyini’s learned to sew from watching her Great Aunt Jean cut, pin and put fabrics together to create stylish clothing.  That was just the beginning of Soyini’s love for art, design and color. One year after graduating from college, and with $100, a dining room table and tons of motivation, she started the Yinibini brand of…

The year was nineteen seventy-five. Barren couple, Pearl and Edward Riley stumbled upon a newborn baby girl. Her cries could only be heard by a true mother, which Pearl immediately became. Bundled up with their new child, they discovered a parcel of artifacts and a scribbled note that read: Sakkara. Pregnant seamstress, Petrina Dugal, became a runaway at the age of twenty-six. She ran away from a brutish husband, Roger, and a well-loved South American…

PATRICIA A. CUMMINGS was born and grew up in Georgetown, Guyana. Before becoming an attorney, Patricia was the Administrative Director of the Nuclear Medicine/Ultrasound Department at Parklane Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. She is board certified in Nuclear Medicine, Radiology and Diagnostic Medical Sonography Technology. Patricia graduated from Ottawa University in 1983 (B.A.) and Syracuse University Law School in 1987 (J.D.) where she was the recipient of the Best Advocate Award, Edmund H. Lewis…

via www.ustimesnow.com Born in Guyana and raised in Toronto, where she lives, Samantha McGregor was always destined to be great. She started off her journey to success bright and early. Now, she is an accomplished Email marketing expert and digital strategist with a solid background in Customer Success, SaaS, and marketing technology. She started her consultancy firm sometime in 2019, and she soon discovered that she has a passion for bringing big business strategies to…

Among the senior vice presidents at Rockwell Collins; the Iowa-based provider of avionics and information technology systems and services, Nan Mattai is the only woman. “Just the thought that something I say or do may change a life inspires me to be the best I can be,” Ms. Mattai, the Senior Vice President for Engineering and Technology, wrote in an email interview. “So, as a successful woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, I will try…