By Marissa V. Foster

On Monday, February 11, young activist, Joylyn Conway, hosted the closing ceremony of her beauty with a purpose project STEM Girls Glow Campaign at the Berbice High School. February 11 is also designated International Day of women and girls in Science on the United Nations Calendar. Conway currently holds the Second Princess crown of the 2018 Miss World Guyana Pageant. She also won the ‘Five Year Plan’ and Talent Segments of the competition. Over the past year, she has travelled to schools across Berbice educating young girls on the importance of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) which is an interdisciplinary approach to learning. Conway noted that less than 35 per cent of the graduates of STEM are women, hence, why this project is very important.

In her address to the crowd, Conway stressed, “Girls of Berbice are full of talent and aspirations.” She went on to explain how she was convinced by a teacher to join the Science Stream of Berbice High School. She was then unsure but still took the risk of the unknown. Subsequently, Conway managed to graduate among the school’s top 10 students and later went on to become the second best graduating student in the major of Biology at the University of Guyana.

The beauty pageant contestant, in collaboration with Gordon’s Stationary Store, presented books to five deserving Grade 10 girls; Kerensa DeWeever, from the Berbice Educational Institute; Keanna Nichalson of Canje Secondary School; Mia Woolford of JC Chandisingh Secondary; Nyasha Barlow of Berbice High School and Amanda Macintosh of New Amsterdam Multilateral. Conway also made an informative bookmark on the importance of STEM along with a banner conveying the same message for the school. As a girl who wanted to pursue the Arts instead of Science, a subject area that is seen as unfeminine, she emphasised, “We can have the best of both worlds- a mother, wife and a profession in STEM.”

Joylyn’s project is one of many STEM initiatives across the county and Guyana at large. The Government of Guyana is currently upgrading the facilities of STEM nationwide. Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry commissioned three Science labs in Berbice on February 6, at the Canje Secondary School, Vryman’s Erven Secondary and Berbice Educational Institute. This project allows the access of hundreds of students to facilities that will aid in the improvement of their grades and learning in the various science-related subjects.