BEING mindful that her expertise was undervalued in the world of work and being taken for granted by her male counterparts as a civil and environmental engineer, Ulecia Bishop quit working for others and established her very own small business which is multi-faceted.

The 34-year-old is originally from the Essequibo Coast; her father is from Devonshire Castle and her mother originated from Dartmouth but she grew up in Red Road, Sophia from the age of nine when she relocated with her mother.

She attended Smith Memorial Primary School and returned to Essequibo Coast where she attended the Abram Zuil Secondary School. Bishop was a very thoughtful young lady and enrolled at the University of Guyana (UG) for a diploma course in civil engineering for two years; after she was successful, she pursued a degree in the same field for two years, one of which she had an attachment with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

Having completed her attachment period, Bishop migrated to Trinidad and Tobago in 2011 and spent five years working as a civil engineer. However, in 2016 she returned to Guyana where she began working with several agencies including the government.

Currently, Bishop is pursuing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning at UG and is also managing her small business, UB Precision Engineering and Document Centre, Paper Haven located at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

She recently quit her full-time job and started her small business in engineering consultancy services and Document Centre.

“I am very driven and passionate about what I do for work, and presently I am preparing my thesis for UG and I may or may not graduate this year but I will next year. I like working in the fields and giving my two bits in a feasibility study before the actual project starts and I always had a love for project management and civil engineering, it has moulded me into a well-rounded person,” she said.

Managing a business and studying is challenging but Bishop has a firm grip on time management and can navigate those hurdles to maintain a perfect balance. Bishop is also the Secretary-General for the Youth Leadership Group Junior Chamber International in Guyana.

She joined the group in 2022 and gained a lot in personal development of being a leader, improvement in all aspects of her life, enhanced public speaking, time management, finding purpose and giving back to the community, skills training, and an overall insight in effective leadership, financial, and non-financial projects management.

The Environmental and Civil Engineer told the Sunday Chronicle that becoming the Secretary-General was scary at first but after she was enlightened and exposed to various training, she became confident and adopted her role.

With just about 15 years in the engineering field, it certainly was ‘not a walk in the park’ because she was not taken seriously and the men felt they could do a better job.

Bishop said her mother, Yonnette Marks has always been her biggest supporter, and motivator and provided whatever resources she needed to make her dreams come true.

“I came from humble beginnings. My mom was a teacher in the Pomeroon and my dad is a builder and resides in Barbados. I was birthed at Charity and I never forget my roots and where I came from,” she said.