Take some time to celebrate yourself today. Joel Osteen once said “When nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself. When nobody else compliments you, then compliment yourself. It’s not up to other people to keep you encouraged. Encouragement should come from within.”
Cloyette Harris-Stoute is a proud Guyanese nonprofit leader, tech enthusiast, and entrepreneur based in Queens, New York. She founded Guyanese Girls Rock Blog and Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation, Inc. and is Owner of Guyanese Girls Rock Apparels and Alliyette, a fine jewelry brand.
Rashada Harry is the Founder of Your Future Your Ambition, a social enterprise she created in 2012, which aims to encourage people from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority backgrounds into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related careers. Since its launch 6 years ago over 4500 students have attended the YFYA annual event. The social enterprise has been recognized for its excellence and the directors as leaders and role models in STEM. Rashada was motivated to…
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…
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…
Afuwa Granger is a visual artist, writer, and poet who uses her work to construct a visual language around intersections of identity, particularly race and gender. She was born in Guyana to current President, David Granger and First Lady, Sandra Granger. Afuwa studied in Jamaica at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, and lives and creates her artwork in Vancouver, Canada. Afuwa’s art is based on her family photos and the idea of the immigrant…
Congratulations goes out to the Bollers Sisters! Two young ladies who migrated to the USA from Guyana, and have achieved academic success. Samantha Nazena Bollers is a former student of Queens College (Guyana) and graduated from Cornell University (Class of 2013) with a Degree in Government Studies. Natasha Lazena Bollers-Robert, is former student of Bishops High School (Guyana) and a recent Graduate of Medgar Evers College CUNY (Class of 2015) with a Degree in Mathematics. Well done ladies! Your accomplishments will inspire…
In a once unthinkable career for women, aviation in modern times has seen a multitude of females excelling in the field. One such example is US-based Guyanese (Captain) Beverley Drake, who knocked down the stereotype in her aviation career to prove that women can do a man’s job. Beverley, who grew up in Georgetown, in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine revealed that her father always wanted her to become a pilot, so he…
Dr. Oneka LaBennett is Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Cornell University. She received her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University in 2002, and her B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Wesleyan University in 1994. Born in Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. LaBennett’s research and teaching interests include popular culture; race, gender and consumption; urban anthropology; transnationalism and diaspora; and Caribbean migration. Dr. LaBennett is the author of She’s Mad Real:…
Samantha Cross is a new up and coming triple threat singer/songwriter and dancer who goes by the name SCross. She was born in Linden at Mackenzie Hospital, but now lives in Canada. Growing up Samantha always knew that she wanted to be an entertainer. She started singing at the age of 8 and performed her first solo with her church choir. Over the years, Samantha has performed at many venues including some well known clubs,…
Claudette Izel Humprey (nee Masdammer) is the First Female Olympian from British Guiana (Guyana). Born on March 30th, 1936, Claudette atttended the St. Georges Anglican School and subsequently entered the Tutorial High School on an athletic scholarship. Her athletic ability was recognized by the Castello Brothers, founders of Tutorial High school, during the annual public schools’ sports meeting. On account of her sprinting prowess, Claudette represented British Guiana at the 1956 Olympic Summer Games held…
The courage and passion that singer, Lisa Punch, showed during her appearance on the “Rising Star” TV Show inspired me to share this quote. In just 6-months of living in a foreign country, she fearlessly took to the international stage and showed her fans and the world that nothing is impossible. Always remember that “If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone…
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…
Fear can paralyze your life and prevent you from following your dreams. It’s all in your mind; – stop thinking about the hurdles and just jump over them.
Toronto-based Caterer Shaunna Marto never thought she could have a career doing what she loves. Trained in culinary arts, Shaunna founded Party’s By Shaunna in 2006; a full service catering and party business. Born in Georgetown, Guyana to a middle class family, Shaunna started cooking at the of 11; much to the horror of her parents who were concerned that she would hurt herself at the stove. They soon realize she had a talent for…
