Ten in hot contention for ‘Miss Guyana’ title
-and a chance to shine in São Paolo
TEN LOCAL beauties are set to compete in this year’s Miss Guyana Universe Pageant.
The packed programme of events began last Sunday evening with a fashion show at the Princess International Hotel, and will see the Sashing Ceremony being held at the same venue today at 18:00h.
The Question and Answer segment is slated to be aired live on NCN Channel 11 on Wednesday at 20:00h, while the ‘big night’ is billed for the poolside of the Princess International Hotel on July 9, beginning at 19:00h. For more information, visit www.missguyanauniverse.com
The winner will represent Guyana at the Miss Universe International Pageant in Sao Paolo. Today, the Guyana Chronicle presents the still unsashed delegates in random order.

This 20-year-old, who is 5’5” (167cm) tall, is the reigning Miss Essequibo. Her aim is to become a professional businesswoman, and she is currently reading for a Diploma in Business Management at the University of Guyana.
She chose as her platform ‘Boosting Tourism in Guyana’, because Guyana is beautiful and she would like to see more tourists coming here and leaving with a good impression of the country. Her hobbies include dancing, cooking, reading, corresponding and modelling.
Seromanie, whose role model is her mom, says her advice to other young women is: “Go for what you want, as it is better to try and fail, than to fail to try.”

At 22, this five-foot-nine (175.3cm) beauty is no stranger to pageantry, as she has participated in such events as Miss Central High, Miss Talented Teen, Miss Guyana Universe 2007, where she was adjudged third runner-up, and is the reigning Miss Guyana Junior (2003) since there has been no pageant after then.
A prospective graduate of the University of Guyana, where she’s reading for a degree in Business Management, Iyanna has chosen as her platform ‘The role of a woman and how it has changed’.
The reason she chose this topic, she said, was because of her recent interest in it, to the point that she began researching the matter. She plans looking at the topic from all angles, including historically and biblically, and its effect on women.
Her hobbies include modelling, playing cricket and football, and listening to dancehall music and oldies.
She would advise other young women to stay in school and get a good education.

Diana Hussain is 18, and stands 5’ 1” (154cm) in height. A born Venezuelan, she is fluent in Spanish, and has chosen ‘Teenage Pregnancy’ as her platform.
She chose the topic, she says, because she knows of a lot of circumstances where girls became pregnant at an early age, and would like to help educate other youths like herself to make informed decisions.
A keen sportswoman, she likes running and jumping, and reading romance novels and cooking. Her role model is Aishwaria Rai, whom she describes as the most beautiful, talented and unique woman in the world.
Her advice to young women is to abstain from sex until they are mature enough to understand what comes with it.

Standing at 170.2 cm (5’7” ), this 23-year-old has chosen ‘Domestic Violence’ as her platform because of its heightened coverage in the media, and a wish to become an advocate for change.
She is currently in Business Management at a private university, and likes to read, travel and model. She says her role model is her mother, from whom she gets a lot of her ideas.
A contestant in the first ever Miss Guyana Earth Pageant last year, Anicia’s motto is stop complaining and start taking action.

Judith Sullivan is a 21-year-old, who describes herself as “a Mahaicony country girl,” and chose HIV/AIDS as her platform because “the disease is running rampant in Guyana and the world.”
The delegate, who is presently learning Portuguese, courtesy of the Brazilian Embassy here, says she plans using campaigns to educate persons about the disease. She aspires to become a singer/songwriter, and has already taken her talent to the stage, one of the most recent being the Miss India Worldwide pageant earlier this year. Already an accomplished businesswoman, she would like to open a day-care centre one day.
She loves driving cars, cooking and spending time with her mom, who is her role model. She also likes animals, and has a pet dog and cat. She believes that with self-confidence and hard work, one can achieve success.

Cynthia Singh is well aware she’s not perfect, but wants to use her life nevertheless to make a difference in the lives of others.
The 23-year-old, who is, who is 5’4” (163 cm) in height, has chosen as her platform ‘Poverty and the cries of our children today’ after interacting with children at the Lusignan Learning Centre, where she volunteers, and whose charges have become ‘her life’.
She is currently undertaking a pre-law course at the School of the Nations, but also has an interest in cosmetology, as she would like to open her own business. She says the reason for her mixed interests is her belief that a woman can be a woman and also be taken seriously and do whatever she wants.
She likes reading, dancing and shopping, but describes herself as quite clumsy in the kitchen.
Cynthia says her mother, who has been there for her all her life, is her role model and if she is to be a mother herself, she wants to be just like her.

Kara Lord holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from the University of the West Indies (UWI), and has chosen as her platform the relation between the Human Papilloma Virus and Cervical Cancer because of its seriousness and prevalence here in Guyana. Kara believes that the problem can be reduced through awareness.
This being her first pageant, the five-foot-seven 23-year-old wants to use it as a learning experience. She believes that women are stronger than they think, and encourages them to treat themselves with respect. She’d also like to encourage them to keep their emotions in check, and make conscious decisions for the benefit of those around them.
She likes to exercise, socialise, travel, and spend time with her family.

No newcomer to the stage, having participated in such events as Miss Guyana Talented Teen and the Face of Shabeau in 2009 and 2010 respectively, 19-year-old Madonna chose the Platform ‘Child Sexual Abuse’, as it has hit a personal note with her. Her height is 173 cm (5’8 inches).
A former student of Laser Edge Academy on the East Coast, where she pursued studies in business, 5’ 8” (173cm) beauty’s ambition is to become a successful businesswoman.
A homebody by nature, she likes to cook and clean, loves to dance and sing, and just can’t resist the water, though she doesn’t know to swim as yet.
Her role model is American talk-show host, Oprah Winfrey. She would like victims of child sexual abuse to know that their bad experience doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world, and to encourage them to work at conquering their fears. “If Oprah can do it,” she says, “so can you.”

Kenisha Duke is the proud owner of 73 dolls, and she designs outfits for them. The 20-year-old has chosen the ‘Impact of Dancehall music on Guyanese youth’ as her platform because of her displeasure with the degrading and violent lyrics in some recordings  of this genre of music.
Currently pursuing a Diploma in Public Management at the University of Guyana, she lives by the motto: Don’t try to fit in or blend in, and work hard to stand out.

A bubbly 23-year-old, Roshini Boodhoo is the reigning Miss India Guyana 2011. A long-time member of the Dharmic Sabha, she has participated in such competitions as Naya Zamana, modelled for Guyana Fashion Weekend, and even co-hosted the local talk show, ‘Diatribe’ recently.
Roshini, who sees herself as a living example of a cultured Indian young woman, has been dancing for about as long as she can remember.  Another of her great passions is cooking, and her favourite cuisine is Indian and Italian foods.  So passionate is Roshini about this that she is even contemplating opening a restaurant one day.
An avid lover of sports, she was the captain of the girls’ cricket team at Primary school and won a medal for ‘Best Sportsperson’ while there. In high school, she played basketball.
She is of the belief that you get more when you put other people first.