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

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…

Her stage name ‘Big Red’, is symbolic of her maturity; she considers herself a “big girl”, and Red- describes the intensity of her performances – red hot. Born in Georgetown Guyana, Michelle “Big Red” King is the eldest of six children of the talented Desiree Edghill. The proud mother of two sons, Steve and Jonathan, Michelle “Big Red” King is a class act who has mastered the ability to harmonize. She possesses a powerful voice…

Donna Makeda is definitely a musical force to be reckoned with. She was born in Kwakwani and grew up in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Guyana. Donna started singing and performing over 25 years ago, her foundation in music came from the church, which she attended when she was a little girl. Donna started out as a dancer; she was trained in Afro-Caribbean Dance, Modern Dance, Folk Dance, Kathak and Classical Ballet. At age 16, she opened…

Mona Williams is a storyteller, children’s writer and educator whose action-packed stories and dramatic presentations enthrall audiences of all ages.  She covers a vast spectrum of stories including myths, legends and heroic tales; folk, fairy and wisdom stories, fables, riddles and autobiographical adventures. Born in the town of Mackenzie, Guyana on 27 July 1943,  Williams secured a place at the exclusive girls’ school Bishops. The school lends it name to her autobiography, Bishops: My Turbulent…

  Born in Guyana in January 1923,  Patricia Gomes has purposefully dedicated more than half of her life to theatre and along the way has been quite accomplished in other areas. She has, as they say, “done it all” – from stage plays to storytelling to dancing her life away, much to the enjoyment of the audiences she thrilled.  In 2010, Ms. Gomes was named by “Special Person”  by Kaieteur News, and in an interview…

Only 6% of all surgeons in the United Kingdom are female, and Dr. Samantha Tross is one of them. She’s the first Black British woman to become a consultant Orthopaedic surgeon. Samantha was born in Georgetown Guyana on June 30, 1968 to Sammy and Gwendolin Tross. The second of their four children, she went to St. Gabriel’s Primary School before her diplomat father was assigned to England and the family relocated. Samantha obtained a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery degree…

BMCC Student Government Association President, Okeema Humphrey’s ultimate goal  is to give back to the country of her birth, Guyana,  but in the meantime she’s sharing very smart advice with her peers. During her recent graduation ceremony,  Okeema told the class of 2015 “whether you are employed, unemployed, or moving on to higher education …  use what you learned at BMCC to be the best version of yourself that you can be.” Okeema is a…

Hon. Madam Justice Minnet Hafiz-Bertram is a Guyana-born Justice of Appeal, and is the first female judge to be elevated to the Belize High Court of Appeals. Before her appointment, Justice Hafiz-Bertram served as a Supreme Court Judge, Register General, Registrar of the Supreme Court and Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Ministry.  She studied law in Guyana and at the Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad and Tobago, where she received her legal education certificate…

Via stabroeknews.com Guyanese-born physician assistant, a frontline worker at a New York hospital, successfully beat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and returned to her job when it was “overloaded” with patients, many of whom were dying.  Shara Khan told Stabroek News (SN) she was not prepared for what came next. The facility was turned into a Covid-19 hospital. “I badly wanted to go back to work as I knew there were people there that needed…

US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received her COVID-19 vaccine live on television Tuesday and urged the public to trust the process.  A mask-wearing Harris received the first of her two shots at United Medical Center, located in an area of Washington, DC with a large African-American population. Her husband Doug Emhoff was also to be vaccinated. Patricia Cummings, clinical nurse manager at United Medical Center, administered the vaccine. Cummings was born in Guyana and is…

COVER GIRL: 22-Year-Old Guyanese model, RoseAnn Sumner, graces the cover of the current issue of Michigan’s Healthy & Fit Magazine. RoseAnn, you migrated from Guyana at the age of 5, is currently studying Diagnostic Molecular Science at Michigan State University. She Rocks! Check out her story >> here.    

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…

Maya Tiwari (born April 16, 1952 in Liverpool Village, Guyana) is a humanitarian, world peace leader and author. Also called “Mother Maya,” she is an international teacher of Ayurveda, a health activist and the founder of the Wise Earth School of Ayurveda and Mother Om Mission.   Biography Maya Tiwari was born in Guyana, the daughter of Brahmin priest Pandit Bhagawan Ramprasad Tiwari, whose family originated from Lucknow, India. Thereafter, she became a fashion designer…

(By Mondale Smith) From winning the Star Guyana show many moons ago to becoming a celebrated Guyanese artiste under the DP Records Label, Lisa Mary Johanna Punch is no stranger to the local music scene. Infact she has a new song set for release on Monday and eventually an an entire album featuring 12 songs to be released incrementally under the DP Records Label. That album album will be available on over 40 online music…

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…