Celebrating Guyana’s 50th Anniversary of Independence

Meet Keanna Jardine, a US-based Guyanese planetary scientist, whose story will inspire you to reach for the stars, quite literally.   Keanna’s journey from Georgetown, Guyana, to NASA’s research team at Arizona State University stands as a testament to her resilience and ambition. Notably, she made history as the first Black woman to graduate with a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Central Florida, a significant achievement given her humble beginning. Keanna’s interest in…

A few weeks ago, people across America celebrated Veterans Day in honors military personnel who served in the United States Armed Forces, but sometimes life after service isn’t easy. That’s where Sharmin Prince comes in. As the program director for veterans services at Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Sharmin is running the Battle Buddy Bridge, a peer-to-peer program that trains veterans to help other veterans deal with a mental health diagnosis. “In basic training, you are…

Born to Guyanese parents, Bronx native Leah Persaud, is a Ph.D. candidate in biology pursuing cancer research at the CUNY Graduate Center at Lehman College. Since 2015, Persaud has been conducting research in the lab of Moira Sauane, a professor in Lehman’s Department of Biological Sciences, that she hopes will ultimately lead to new cancer therapies and drug treatments. “The Lehman campus was always my first choice,” said Persaud, who expects to earn her Ph.D….

From Stabroek News Archive When she married David Granger, Sandra Chan-A-Sue knew she was going to be a military wife which meant her husband would be away from home a lot of the time. But what she did not know was that forty years down the line she would be married to a politician, still with the name of David Granger. “I did not believe him…” the then 62-year-old Sandra Granger told the Sunday Stabroek…

When she entered her guidance counselor’s office earlier this year, it was not a big revelation. Bibi Sulaman, a senior at Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences High School, had met with her counselor to verify her credits and classes before graduating this June. Casually, her counselor revealed that she was valedictorian of her class of around 150 students. “It wasn’t a surprise,” said Bibi. “[Being valedictorian] wasn’t my goal. I just tried to do my…

The UK franchise of the Real Housewives is adding a fresh new face to the Cheshire version of the show.  Model, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Lystra Adams, will make her reality TV debut when she joins returning cast members Dawn Ward, Ester Dohnalová, Hanna Kinsella, Lauren Simon, Nicole Sealey, Rachel Lugo, Seema Malhotra, and Tanya Bardsley for season 12 of the show. Born in Guyana, South America, Lystra originally moved to the UK at the age…

(Kaieteur News Online) Guyana’s first, First Dan World Taekwondo Federation Kukkiwon Black Belt holder La Toya Herbert recently returned from Mexico after participating in a High Performance training course for Coaches to aid the development of Taekwondo in Guyana. La Toya Herbert with other coaches and participants in Mexico. According to the Guyana Taekwondo Association (GTA), the course was sponsored by the Mexican Olympic Committee under the auspices of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO)…

Allison Butters-Grant  is the Chief Executive Officer of Global Seafood Distributors, an importing/exporting business that she jointly operates with her husband, Kerwin.  The daughter of successful seafood entrepreneurs she opened her own Seafood Market in Guyana specializing in wild caught seafood sourced from Guyana with the mantra “straight from the sea to your plate.” Her business distributes  seafood locally in Guyana and to the international markets, including the Caribbean and the US.  In 2015, Guyana Chronicle…

Flora Zeta Zhang Elizabeth Tian Ai Cheong-Leen was born in Hong Kong in 1959.  Her father Hilton Cheong-Leen was born in Georgetown, British Guyana but is of Chinese descent and her mother Pauline Chow is from Beijing. Flora graduated from The Royal Ballet in the UK and at the Paris Opera in France. She starred as the lead actress in movies such as: “Life After Life”, “Duel to the Death”, “Chasing Girl” and “Return of…

Maureen Bunyan is an Emmy Award winning Anchor at WJLA TV 7, ABC Affiliate in Washington D.C.  She is of  Guyanese and Aruban heritage.  Her parents moved from Guyana to Aruba in the 1930s, where Maureen was born.  The eldest of three daughters,  immigrated with her family to the United States when she was just eleven years old, after her father, Arthur Bunyan, accepted a job with a company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her mother Wilhelmina was…

Khadijatou Doyneh, aka K2, is a Guyanese raised and London based singer-songwriter, author,  spoken word poet, musician, and dancer. Her extensive travel across Europe, USA, Canada and Africa at an early age  gave birth to Khadijatou’s ‘lifetime travel-bug’ and wish to contribute  to creative culture.  She  started her performing arts career in dance theatre after graduating with a BA (Hons)  Dance and Spanish.  She discovered her aptitude for  writing, blending words and rhythms, and became a recognized artist on the …

On the eve of the release of Marvel’s Studios Black Panther, Guyanese across the globe are beaming with pride as actress Letitia Wright gets ready to light up the big screen in her starring role as Shuri. Well little did we know that there’s another Guyanese girl, with a not so prominent role in the movie, but who also deserves to be celebrated. Meet actress Shaunette Renée Wilson who plays a member of Dora Milaje, a Wakanda’s elite special forces unit,…

Rochelle Porter has never met a blank surface she didn’t want to draw on. A lifelong lover of global design traditions, the Atlanta-based artist takes cues from the breezy hues of her Caribbean roots, the stark simplicity of Scandinavian prints and the bold geometrics of West African weaves to create vibrant, eye-catching textiles for the home décor and apparel markets. Her travel-inspired patterns feature joyful, unexpected burst of color and classic motifs with a fresh,…

Meet Makayla Harte; a 2019 Graduate to watch. Makayla is very a bright and ambitious young woman who was born to Guyanese and Jamaican parents. She recently graduated with her high school diploma then one week later during a second graduation ceremony, Makayla accepted an Associate’s Degree from Bard Early College High School making her the youngest student to graduate with an Associate’s recognition from Bard.  Not only has she been a stellar student, Makayla…

On Tuesday June 26, 2018, Queen Elizabeth II presented Guyanese Marva Langevine with a Queen’s Young Leaders Award at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London. According to her bio published on www.queensyoungleaders.com, Marva is transforming the lives of bereaved, sick and underprivileged children and families in Guyana. She is the founder of the Guyana Golden Lives Organization, which she has used to open up a national conversation about the loss of a loved one…