Happy New Year! Rock on in 2015!

Alyssa Raghu shed tears of joy Sunday night when she was advanced to Hollywood for the next round of American Idol.  The 15 year old songbird auditioned on the premiere episode on season 16 of the ABC’s singing competition before judges Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan. Born to Guyanese parents, Alyssa is a student at Lake Nona High School in Orlando Florida and also plays the guitar. According to www.wftv.com, Alyssa’s ‘American Idol’ journey…

Entrepreneur, projects specialist, author: Sabrina Panday is a ‘bold and fearless’ woman.  She has a contagious positive attitude, which she credits to being “bold and fearless and never underestimating oneself”. These attributes have propelled Sabrina in assiduously pursuing her “dreams”, which included being a cookbook author. This ‘dream’ became a reality when Sabrina finally launched her cookbook. Adding a delicious twist to traditional ground provisions meals, Sabrina’s “Provisions: Cooking Healthy with Nature’s Bounty” inaugural cookbook is…

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…

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…

Janice MacGregor is a first-generation Canadian of Guyanese heritage. She recently won the title of the very first Miss Regal World; a new online pageant that welcomes females from around the World to compete at an international level. No stranger to the world of pageantry, Janice was the winner of the 2007 Miss Saskatoon 2007 title. She also won Miss Saskatchewan International 2007, Miss World Saskatchewan 2008, and Miss Petite Saskatchewan 2009. Janice has held…

Margaux Rusita (Margaux Wong) is a fashion and textile designer originally from Guyana, South America. She was first introduced to textile design while in Secondary school but was introduced to the sewing machine as a young child. For the past ten years, Margaux has worked as a freelance designer. She was in 2007, employed as the Personal Assistant to the late Catherine Walker, who for many years designed countless special pieces for the late Princess…

Congratulations to Miss Timea James, Honor Roll Student and recent graduate of  Town Center Montessori Private School. Your graduation is only a glimpse of what lies ahead in your bright future. Wishing you the very best for the coming years.  You Rock! ~Love, Mom

At a time when many cultural forces continue to stand in the way of women pursuing careers in the science and technology fields, Dr.  Shabana Amanda Ali is proving to be a great role model for young female scientists.  A self-professed “Multidimensional Student of Life” her work speaks volumes of her level of commitment to the field of research science.  After witnessing the decline of her grandmother’s health due to osteoarthritis, Dr. Ali  decided to dedicate her career to finding a…

On April 10th, the first Guyanese Girls Rock Scholarship award was presented to Kelly Hyles at the “Bridging the Gap” Millennial Conference in Brooklyn, New York. Kelly, a high school senior, was accepted to the top 8 Ivy League schools in the United States and was honored for academic excellence. She was presented with the Guyanese Girls Rock Certificate of Scholarship and a new Apple MacBook laptop computer by GGR’s Founder, Cloyette Harris-Stoute. Kelly was…

Celebrity choreographer and actress Shakira Marshall combined her passion for African and Caribbean dance into a class. Marshall, who is of Guyanese ancestry, now shares her love of dances from the diaspora as an instructor at the Center for African and Diaspora Dance in Brooklyn. NY-based video reporter, Melissa Noel, (also a Guyanese Girl) recently caught up with Marshall at her studio and witness her in action. Check out the video. Shakira grew up in…

Ngozi Muoneke is the CEO and Director of M3 Cosmetics Ltd, an іnnоvаtіvе соѕmеtісѕ mаnufасturеr based in East London, United Kingdom. Founded in 2008, M3 produces ԛuаlіtу Skіnсаrе, Hаіrсаrе, Pеrѕоnаl Cаrе, Nаіlсаrе, Mineral, Frаgrаnсеѕ аnd Colour Makeup. Ngozi was born in the UK to Guyanese parents. She spent part of her childhood in Guyana where she attended East Ruimveldt Primary School before returning to the UK.  Her mother, Yvonne Beckles-Lamazon (deceased) was originally from Georgetown but spent most of her adult…

This past Monday, on May 26th, Guyana celebrated it’s 49th independence anniversary, which coincided with the Inauguration of Guyana’s 8th Executive President His Excellency David Arthur Granger at the Guyana National Stadium.  While a proud moment for Guyanese living at home and abroad, it was this image of Stacey Codogan performing a sword salute and depicting such strength and beauty that stole the hearts and admiration of many across social media.   She Rocks!     Photographer: Brian Gomes.

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…

Meet Nickolette Emptage. She’s originally from Linden and now lives in New York. Nickolette is an honor student with a 95 average at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens and is the second captain of the school’s soccer team. Nickolette says she’s “repping” for 592! She Rocks! .

Delene Musielak is a dual Board Certified doctor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She is the Associate Program Director of Internal Medicine Residency Program at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Delene is also a busy mother of triplets and a life, health, wellness and parenting coach. Yet she finds time to produce “The Doctor Mom Show” in St. Louis, which serves as a medical resource for patients and parents. Add to that her…