By Marissa V. Foster

IN our childhood, we experience teachable moments and are taught values and morals that seem harsh at the moment but when we mature, we gain an understanding and appreciation of those moments. As a child, Joylyn Conway always enjoyed the presence of her family and the sounds of hearty laughter, singing and rocking to funk or oldies whenever taking a drive out, and she recalls being reminded of the importance of education and receiving pull-ups in moments whenever she lapsed. There were always valuable reminders of the importance of good manners, respect, speaking well and keeping God in the centre of your life. All such valuable and impactful moments have shaped her into the young woman she is today.

Joylyn attended the Berbice High School where she managed to graduate as one of the top 10 students at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations in 2014. She later attended the University of Guyana, where she read for a degree in Chemistry and graduated as the youngest graduate of the year 2016, as well as the second-best graduating student with the highest GPA; she was also president of the University of Guyana’s Chemistry Club for the year 2017-2018. The choice in this field of studies later influenced her platforms for the Miss World Guyana Pageant. Joylyn is a Rotaractor attached to the New Amsterdam Rotaract Club, where she currently serves as the secretary and is also the club’s president-elect for the year 2020-2021. Apart from being the Miss World Representative for the Land of Many Waters, she was also the Miss World Guyana Second Princess for the year 2018.

Growing up, she always saw young ladies who participated in beauty pageants as brave women. Women who in return use their titles to be a voice for problems faced in society, while indirectly empowering young women like herself. “I too wanted to be brave;  to use my voice to bring awareness of issues that are prevalent in society; to be the change that I so dearly would like to see within my community, country and world at large and most importantly, to empower young women and girls,” Joylyn told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Joylyn’s past influenced her first Beauty with a Purpose project: STEM Girl Glow.

Once upon a time, she allowed the stereotypes surrounding girls in Science to influence her decisions, perception and beliefs– STEM was only meant to be for boys; it’s nerdy and boring. Thankfully, over the last five years, she has encountered women along her academic journey and even within her own home. Her mother was the person who motivated her that she can embrace who she truly is and still glow with confidence. Women shared their stories and experiences, which gave her hope and through the influence of their impact on her life, she shares her story as well. She shares it with the hope of making an impact in our younger generation of girls by encouraging them to embrace their glow with confidence, despite the stereotypes.

Joylyn described her journey thus far as being “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” one filled with teachable moments. It’s a journey that entails self-exploration, the evolving into a better version of oneself and the opportunity to work with and meet outstanding individuals – for this, she is grateful and looks forward to all this journey has in store.  A battle with self and mind is a challenge she has faced in the past. Joylyn always envisioned being able to do more, but the belief and confidence weren’t always there.

Today, Joylyn Conway is a 20-year-old young lady with an amiable personality and hearty laugh to complement it. She’s a family-oriented individual, communicant Methodist, Natural Science enthusiast that holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Chemistry (Biology Minor), and works as a lecturer at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute and Lab Instructor at the University of Guyana. She also holds an immense love for volunteering, community service and assisting the less fortunate.

This beauty with a passion for girls in STEM hopes to one day obtain a Master’s Degree in Forensic Science. By continuing the works of her platform, she also hopes to establish a foundation that carries on the legacy of “STEM Girl Glow.” Joylyn’s advice to other young girls who might be inspired by her story is to, “Never allow the school you went to; the grades you obtained; the colour of your skin; your position in society, your past or mistakes you’ve made, to define who you are or what you can accomplish in this life – only you can define this. Find you, find your purpose, find your motivation and put in the work.” Her challenges and journey all led to her success and most of it can be attributed to the love and support from her family. Today, Joylyn is not only a queen, but hopes to inspire other young girls that they too cannot only be a queen, but they can also still believe and strive for the things they believe in.