Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell is a major in the United States Air Force, and the first female African-American fighter pilot in the Air Force history. She was born in Lafayette, Indiana on April 20, 1976, to Guyanese parents, Dr Norman Ng A Qui, and Eve Blackman Ng A Qui after they migrated to the US. Their hard work and dedication paid off in her father earning a degree from Howard University and a doctorate from Purdue University. That focus on…
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I’m giddy with excitement to share this sister’s story – from one “shoenista” about another. When a woman stops Samanta Joseph to ask where she got here beautiful Brazilian-made shoes, that woman is often on her way to becoming a customer. Samanta was designing shoes since she was a young girl in Guyana. When her mother ordered her a pair of custom-made sandals to better fit her feet, that experience spawned a business idea. After migrating to the US,…
On the eve of its release in theaters across the country, and coinciding with the upcoming “Diwali” holiday, it’s very fitting to introduce this very talented filmmaker and the woman behind the movie “Festival of Lights.” Shundell Prasad screenwriter, filmmaker and movie director working out of New York and LA. She was born in Guyana but migrated to the US at age 6. Shundell is a graduate of New York University’s Prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, where…
If you’ve ever read the novels The Coloured Girl in the Ring and Calabash Parkway, then you’re familiar with this very talented writer. Brenda Chester DoHarris is a Guyanese writer now living and lecturing in the USA. She as born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1946 to Rebecca Theresa Chester (a nurse-midwife) and Clement Vincent Chester (government dispenser). Brenda is a professor of English at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland and a graduate of Columbia…
Meet Guyanese born Deborah Borocas, author of “Guyana’s Tasty Exotic – A contemporary take on the cuisine of Guyana, the Land of Six Peoples.” This cookbook includes 82 recipes with magnificent pictures of the many cuisines that showcases Guyana’s rich culinary history. The book also features pictures of Guyana’s beautiful landscape, its people, folklores, slang and traditions. Deborah started cooking at the tender age of 9. The second of seven children she became her Mother’s kithcen…
Caribbean Squash Queen Nicolette Fernandes was born in Toronto, Canada on June 19, 1983. She moved back to Guyana with her parents at an early age began playing squash competitively at the age of 8. Representing Guyana, she dominated the junior category both domestically and regionally before she became famous for her outstanding performance at various Caribbean Championships. Nicolette made a significant leap when she was just 19-years-old and emerged as Champion at her first Pan American Games. Nicolette has…
In the south London town of Stockwell at the Stockwell Memorial Gardens is a 10-foot bronze sculpture of a woman holding a child. It was the brainchild of Guyanese Cécile Nobrega and is based on and named after her own poem: Bronze Woman. Cécile was a scholar, musician, artist, text-book writer, poetess and many more attributes. She was born Cécile Burgan – the daughter of the late Canon William Granville Burgan and Imelda Burgan. Cecile grew up in Buxton village, East…
Shondell ‘Mystery Lady’ Alfred is a professional boxer from Guyana. She is one of the first female boxers to represent Guyana internationally and in 2011 the “Mystery Lady” was awarded “Most Inspirational Boxer of the Year” by the Women’s Boxing Archive Network (WBAN). Alfred’s knockout victory over Corrine Van Ryck DeGroot was largely responsible for her winning the award in front of a glamorous line up of boxers worldwide. Shondell grew up in Albouystown where she took to athletics and later karate while in…
How many of you remember Shakira Baksh who represented Guyana in Miss World 1967 and ended as second runner-up? Some folks called her the “Guyanese Goddess”! Shakira Baksh was born on February 23, 1947, in Guyana to a Muslim family. The daughter of a dressmaker, she aimed to follow in the footsteps of her mother and become a fashion designer. It was while working as a secretary, Shakira Caine was urged by her boss to…
These beautiful young women are deserving of our congratulations because they definitely Rock! The GUYANA Women’s Basketball Team played undefeated to claim the title of the 12th annual Gillian Brazier Basketball Shootout earlier this year in Antigua and Barbuda. The team claimed a 74-34 victory to wrap up the tournament with a 5-0 record with wins versus St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua. The United States-based, Shauntelle Nelson, was named MVP and was also added to the All-Star team,…