The Rwanda genocide made her become a doctor

GROWING up, she had in mind becoming a lawyer; but at age 14, in 1994, when she saw a CNN report on the Rwanda crisis, for which several UN doctors had to be deployed to help save lives, she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. This was a moment of impact for Melissa Sophia Varswyk. It made her think about the welfare of others and ways in which she could be of assistance to them.
“That is what really inspired me and actually, last year I went to Vienna and I met three young people who were representing Rwanda and we were discussing that same period and one of them was born in that same year,

during the genocide. It was an ‘aha’ moment for me, because I was telling them what I was seeing and it was kind of an emotional moment that we all went through at that point. I never ever forgot that period,” she recalled in an interview with the Chronicle.
From that point in 1992 on, Melissa, now 34, took her science studies seriously and eventually ventured into the science stream, though this was not the popular course. The majority of students was pursuing business and arts studies, but Melissa enjoyed being part of the small science class.
Melissa, who describes herself as a career woman and a humanitarian, was born to parents Mary and Uray and has spent all of her life so far in Georgetown. She attended Palmsville Nursery, Winifred Gardens Primary, St. Joseph’s High, and the University of Guyana .

She did a first degree in biology while at UG and finished off medicine in one of the offshore medical schools in Guyana. She graduated as a doctor and is now in the process of opening her own medical school.

Her own medical school
Only last year, Melissa came up with the idea of opening a medical school and related this to a few persons who thought it was brilliant. And it is understandable why she now feels “very accomplished” because the school is set to open in a matter of weeks.
The school, in Bel Air Gardens, is a partnership arrangement and Melissa will be taking up the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Melissa wanted to open her own school because she found that private medical schools in Guyana operate mainly for the money first and foremost. “The interest of the students is not even second. It’s all about the money. I went through the system before. I hated it. I know what I went through as a student and I am basically trying to correct that and at the same time, provide an education,” she explained.
The National Accreditation Council has promised to go for a site visit at the end of the month and so Melissa and the team are excited. “There is a lot more yet to be done. I am always trying to make myself busy. If I find a million and one things that I can do, I will do it. I just like to keep myself busy. I still have to go save all the kids in Africa and Syria,” she joked.
On a serious note, though, Melissa does plan to visit these children in the future. “I like promoting education, especially STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). I am a STEMstress. This is something girls don’t get involved in much; so promoting it is one of my next five years visions. I also hope to have a STEM school because that’s basically the way forward. We are not promoting it much in Guyana because the majority of students right now are in social sciences. We are building cities in the sky. Everything is about robots. That is the future. Why are we not getting there? That is where the money of all the big countries is going.”

Positive Thinking
Melissa basically started with just one idea and has managed to reach far with it. She credits positive thinking and having faith. “Just staying positive. The mind is so powerful. Whatever you think about, whatever you put out there, that’s what can happen. So when I get an idea, I just say it’s going to happen despite how bizarre it is. And I’m telling you it works. Trust me. The mind is a powerful instrument.”
For instance, when she visited Vienna last year to attend a UN conference, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was present where it was being kept, and Melissa was determined to meet him before it was over.
He was in a private meeting with heads of state and had all of his bodyguards around. One of them went up to Melissa and they began chatting. He is from Trinidad and he introduced her to the head of security who is a Guyanese. The head security brought BanKi over and Melissa had a chance to take pictures with him and so forth. “It was another ‘aha’ moment I had. I tell you the power of positive thinking. Trust me.”
Within the next ten years, Melissa hopes to be in ‘People’ Magazine as one of the hundred most influential women. “And you know the power of the mind,” she laughed.

Miss Emancipation
Melissa is the franchise owner of Miss Emancipation, Miss Emancipation Queen and Miss Emancipation Pageant. She stressed that the event, which is held annually at the Cultural Center, is not just a pageant, but a cultural experience.
One of the aims of the Miss Emancipation Show, she said, is to promote young African girls, and not only in the Diaspora. The girls go through extensive training and Melissa helps in preparing them for them event.
The focus is not on modelling and the like. “I like to train the girls education wise; African lectures, women empowerment and so forth.” They are already in the process of preparing for this year’s event.

(By Telesha Ramnarine)