Guyanese Elsie Harry has been one of the most remarkable persons throughout her lifetime and has worked her way to the top through her commitment to hard work and dedication.

The Pepperpot Magazine sat down with Harry, as we talked about her life, career, and her lifestyle.
“I grew up in a strict household, where my parents had stern rules related to both formal and informal education. Not only were we required to focus on academics, but we were expected to learn other skills and to be socially and politically aware,” Harry recalls. “I remember being made to watch the Local News from about age six and to report to my father what I learned, and a Q&A session followed. The following year regional and international news were added to the roster.
“My upbringing was also marked by transience since my parents were constantly in search of opportunities for growth for us as a family. My sister and I were separated at various times during my childhood from either our father or both parents as they worked to secure steady employment or resolve immigration issues. As a result of this, however, I received early exposure to the world outside of Guyana- its challenges, but also its many opportunities.”

Challenges faced whilst growing up
Harry explained that she faced quite a challenge while growing up as a young girl, who lived in another country.
“My earliest and perhaps most profound challenge was growing up as an immigrant in a country that I previously knew nothing about and learning how to thrive in this new locale. When I was six years old, my parents migrated to St. Kitts & Nevis, and I spent my formative years there. As is usually the case in these circumstances, I was teased about my ‘unusual’ accent,” she recalled, adding that she was constantly reminded of her status as being an outsider by her peers at school and other locals.

Further challenges arose when Harry began to excel at school. She explained that parents of students within the school system and and her community openly expressed that they did not believe she deserved to excel above the local children and sought to advocate for her disqualification from competitions and from academic rankings.
“My final challenge is interestingly related to my remigration to Guyana in 2013- this was a culture shock since my socialisation occurred away from this locale. While I visited Guyana during the years when I lived abroad, I was only able to fully appreciate the complexities of Guyanese society, including the influence of race, politics, and social status in determining a person’s trajectory, until I was immersed in day-to-day life in Guyana,” Harry told Pepperpot Magazine during her interview.

Facing challenges
Like most circumstances in life, you must overcome every challenge that you face, and Harry explained how she overcame.
“I overcame my challenges in three ways: my parents always told me, even before we migrated, that I was capable of achieving whatever I put my mind to. They told me that I was capable of an infinite number of things and that I shouldn’t limit myself to only the things that I have access to now, but I should be prepared to seize any other opportunity that may arise- so I often kept myself in a state of readiness by learning, practising, observing and participating. They also told me to adopt the attitude that no one was better than, or more deserving than I was- that we all deserved an equal opportunity to compete regardless of the fact that I wasn’t born in Kittitian society or to an affluent family and that natural selection would take its course,” Harry told Pepperpot Magazine.

Still, Harry was able to distinguish herself while in St Kitts and Nevis to fulfill many academic and social goals, including graduating at the top of her classes, winning various awards, and representing the island at Regional and International forums.

Life before fame
Harry noted that she would not consider herself to be famous or even particularly well-known.
She shared that she has made many meaningful connections because of her work and volunteerism. Harry noted that her life has become more purposeful and more fulfilling as the years have progressed. She shared that her academic, professional, and personal achievements, as well as her purposeful attitude, continue to open doors for her to earn and to effect positive change in society.

“Each year, I also become better at prioritising rest and joy, and only giving my time and efforts to the causes that I consider to be meaningful, thus, my days are spent working at my place of full-time employment in the area of Monitoring and Evaluation, teaching part-time, and volunteering with three organisations in the areas of Community Development, Environmental Sustainability, STEM, Guyanese Heritage, and others on an ad-hoc basis. Recently, I have been participating in programmes within my church community, and I run a social enterprise called ‘This is YOUR Life’, that encourages purposeful, intentional living and offers services such as capacity-building workshops, mentorship, and career guidance,” Harry noted during her interview.

Harry shared that during her free time, she would spend time with her 84-year-old mentor- who would offer her a weekly dose of wisdom. Harry noted that she would also take the time to enjoy her friends’ company and travel both inside and outside Guyana so that she can continue to interact with and learn from various perspectives.

Using challenges as a means of betterment
“I am not one of those persons who believe that your challenges ‘make you who you are’, challenges cause unnecessary strain and lasting trauma. The only benefit that I ascribe to trauma is building resilience- meaning, after you have endured one challenge, you learn how to cope with others. My challenges have only strengthened an already strong resolve, and they reiterated the already sound advice of my parents. I didn’t need challenges to be who I was destined to be; in fact, if not for the challenges, I would have been able to achieve my purpose with more ease and more joy. Nevertheless, I am grateful that I was able to overcome them to continue along the path to fulfilling my purpose,” Harry shared. “It is my firm belief that God has called me to both lead and serve, and I will do so for as long as He allows. He sends help from the most unexpected places, but he also equips me with the skills that I need to build wells in dry places. I set aside uncertainty, doubt, and fear by choosing to focus on the purposeful thought- Why worry about the future, when I know the author, and he has already written the final chapter!”