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…
Our Sheroes
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Lisa Punch is a talented singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was born on September 4, 1992 in Guyana; the daughter of John Errol Punch and Nafieza Aiana Daniels and is the eldest of five siblings. Lisa spent the first few years of her life in Berbice before relocating to Georgetown. By age 11, she was performing across the country and appearing on local TV shows such as Talent Exclusive. At her alma mater, North Georgetown Secondary…
03 Jan: Irene Bacchus-Holder: Pyrographic Artist – Making the World Beautiful with Wood Arts & Craft
Irene Bacchus-Holder is a Guyana-based pyrographic artist (the art of burning design onto wood or leather). For more than a decade, she has been perfecting this art form in creating functional pieces for the home using Guyana’s natural woods. Irene got started in this craft with the encouragement of my brother who sent her a wood burning pen with interchangeable tips. She began by offering gifts made of wood from Guyana’s rainforest to several friends. Irene stated that she always wanted to do…
Bernadette Indira Persaud is one of Guyana’s best-known artists, writers and educators. She was born in Berbice in 1946 and is a graduate of the University of Guyana and of the Burrows School of Art in Georgetown. Her painting career began in the early 1980s, when she felt a need to express her ideas through her creativity. In 1985, she became the first woman to win the Guyana National Visual Arts Competition, and she continues to produce…
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,…