Miss India Guyana 2013, Katherina Roshana, heads to Malaysia

It’s said that true charity begin at home and Keshia Adams is determined not to keep it there.  The Brooklyn-Based Executive Director/Founder of Lifting You For Tomorrow’s Success (L.Y.F.T.S) is on a mission to break the cycle of poverty for families in her community and in Guyana.  L.Y.F.T.S. is a  non-profit organization that tackles many social problems like poverty, at-risk youth, and hunger. Another passion of Keshia is the The Adams Project (T.A.P.); a subsection of L.Y.F.T. that…

Undra Celeste Duncan is the founder and creative director of Undra Celeste New York; a modern workwear brand for multicultural women. Upon earning a business degree from Howard University, she moved to LA where she studied fashion designing, and later to New York to pursue a career in fashion.  She worked for big brands such as Calvin Klein and American Eagle Outfitters before launching her own label in 2014.  Undra’s collections have been shown on…

Meet Melabeu Cheriece,  Professional Model, Actress & Bikini Bodybuilding Competitor.  She’s the daughter of Guyanese author and Beterverwagting native, Adrianna Rose,  who recently published the novel Trapped in the Middle. Melabeu began competing in August, 2012 and has fallen in love with the bikini bodybuilding sport. During her teenage years she won the Miss New Jersey Perfect Teen Pageant and has grown in the performing arts, professionally.  She is very passionate about health and fitness…

“A queen is wise. She has earned her serenity, not having had it bestowed on her but having passer her tests. She has suffered and grown more beautiful because of it. She has proved she can hold her kingdom together. She has become its vision. She cares deeply about something bigger than herself. She rules with authentic power.” ― Marianne Williamson .

Aubreana Stephenson Holder lives by the motto, “You can do anything you put your mind to, and given an opportunity to prove herself, she will show you her worth.” As such, she has achieved the title of Chief Operating Officer of Federal Management Systems, Incorporated (FMS), a government contracting company with over 25 years of working with the federal, state, local and international government, at a young age. Additionally, she is on the Board of…

With 19 Grade One passes and a Grade Two, Queen’s College student Elisa Hamilton, an aspiring doctor, is the country’s unofficial top performer at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. Speaking to Stabroek News from Texas, in the United States, an excited Hamilton, 16, related that she was over the moon when she received a text message from her mother telling her that she not only topped her school but achieved the highest…

For those of us who have emigrated from Guyana, Demerara Gold is a refreshing reminder of the expectation, excitement and anxiety that we experience in our journey to  join our families in America. I recently had the pleasure of sitting in the front row to watch Ingrid Griffith, the star of Demerara Gold, as she seamlessly transformed into a slew of characters and captivated the audience with her raw emotions and hilarious depictions of events from her…

Michelle A. Albert, MD, MPH is a general cardiologist with expertise in preventive cardiovascular medicine as well as managing the most critically ill cardiovascular patients with a range of conditions including coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathies and vulnerable populations with heart disease such as women and racial/ethnic minorities. Born and raised in Guyana, Dr. Albert had a fairly austere upbringing. The sudden death of her grandfather by cardiac arrest was probably the trigger for…

Navigators Travel to Guyana gives a taste of what Guyana has to offer to its readers, and it is the follow up to Navigators Travel to Barbados written by Howard Liverpool. This time our intrepid explorers travel to Guyana and learn about the history and geography of the country. They also sample some of the local cuisine and have a scary encounter with a ram sheep. It’s a children’s book geared to kids from ages…

Dr. Padmanee Sharma is a leading figure in Oncology.  She currently holds Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointments as Professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Professor in the Department of Immunology, Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr.  Sharma specializes in renal, bladder and prostate cancer. Her prime focus is to understand the mechanisms and pathways within the immune system responsible for tumor rejection. Since 2005 she has been…

The festival of Holi can be regarded as a celebration of the Colors of Unity & Brotherhood – an opportunity to forget all differences and indulge in unadulterated fun. It has traditionally been celebrated in high spirit without any distinction of cast, creed, color, race, status or sex. It is one occasion when sprinkling colored powder (‘gulal’) or colored water on each other breaks all barriers of discrimination so that everyone looks the same and…

Congratulations to 18-year-old, Vena Mookram, who captured the crown last night and walked away with the title of  Miss World Guyana 2017.   The  5’6″ tall beauty was born on September 12, 1998 in the Capitol City of Georgetown and is a first-time beauty pageant contestant.  She will represent Guyana on the Miss World stage this coming December in China. A fitness enthusiast, Vena’s Beauty with a Purpose platform focuses on physical fitness and nutrition and she has collaborated with Guyana’s Ministry of Public Health to…

Kadecia Baird has established herself as New York’s fastest female high school sprinters.  This 17 year old star athlete has made a big impact on the track and field community. Kadecia grew up in  Campbellville, Georgetown and is a senior at Medgar Evers High School in Brooklyn, New York.  She began competing in Guyana, passionately pursuing a junior national title. However her talent sky rocketed after she migrated to the U.S. three years ago. Kadecia is a member of her school’s…

Professional bodybuilder, Alana Shipp, has muscled her way to the top echelon of  Women’s Body Building in just a few years.   Born in 1982 in Barbados to Guyanese parents, Alana spent her early childhood in Guyana prior to moving to Queens, New York at age 11. After graduating high school, Alana enlisted in the US Marine Corps and spent almost 8 years as a non-commissioned officer, working as a logistics procurement manager in Okinawa,…

New York-based lawyer Denise M. Grant was born in Guyana and is a Partner in the  Project Development & Finance Group, Shearman & Sterling,LLP. She is the daughter of Guyana’s former ambassador to the United States, the late Hon. Cedric Grant and the second oldest of four girls (three of whom are lawyers). Denise was raised in England before migrating to the United States in 1982 where she graduated with an International Relations degree from…