DR Alista Bishop wears several hats: mother, daughter, entrepreneur, financial executive, and most recently author and poet, and was earlier this week announced as one of the Suriname Guyana Chamber of Commerce’s (SGCC) Directors.
Describing herself as resilient, Dr Bishop, in an interview on Thursday, told this publication that she has always found a way to rise, rebuild and move forward with purpose. Alista grew up in Tiger Bay, Georgetown, a community persons often said nothing good can come out of.
Later, she and her family moved to Kitty, and then to Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara before she migrated to Trinidad at the age of 16 to pursue better academic opportunities. After graduating from the University of the West Indies (UWI), she returned to Guyana ten years ago.
Dr Bishop stated that her journey is one that is more rooted in those transitions, with each phase shaping her perception and drive.
“What keeps me going every day is purpose. A lot of people are still trying to find their purpose. And I’ve seen what struggle looks like up close and personal, and I’ve lived it as well. So, for me, it’s not just about being successful. It’s about the impact you make even when you’re successful. It’s about creating opportunities and building something meaningful and ensuring that my story becomes proof that where you start does not define where you finish. There’re good people that come from the ghetto, and we can see that,” Dr. Bishop told this publication.
The entrepreneur said that wearing several hats and being a woman, require lots of discipline, as well as structure, and the clarity of purpose. Additionally, Dr Bishop shared that she also prioritises, and delegates where necessary, remaining intentional about how she spends her time.
According to her, “I’m intentional about some of the events that I’m going to attend. It has to have a meaning. It has to support some kind of cause, but more importantly I’ve learned that balance isn’t about doing everything at once. It’s about knowing what needs your attention in each moment. I often lean on faith as well. I’m a Christian (Catholic), and without that grounding, managing multiple responsibilities while navigating those personal challenges would be overwhelming. It’s not easy.”
Dr Bishop revealed that she is someone who loves numbers. Her genuine love for mathematics is what allowed her to stay in the field of accounting.
“The structure, the logic, the technical side of it. And I’ve always had this strong connection to it as well, and accounting gave me a way to apply that in a meaningful, practical way. I love the idea of playing with numbers. Like I said, I like to take small numbers and make it big numbers,” she said.
Balancing this out, Dr Bishop said she also loves writing, stating that she journals daily about her struggles/ challenges, health, and every other thing happening in her life at that point.
Her book, ‘The Journey of Alista Bishop’, was written to share her story, her truth with the world.
She said that in the book, she opened up about her struggles growing up in poverty, her migration journey, failed relationships, motherhood, and the many setbacks that she would have experienced. With a firm belief in the power of honesty, Dr Bishop said she wanted young women to see that experiencing challenges does not disqualify you, instead they shape you.
Dr Bishop said she never saw Tiger Bay as a final destination for herself and always believed that one day, she and her family would leave that environment.
“If I could tell my younger self anything, I would say that you know what, you’ve made it, you’ve changed the odds against you,” Dr Bishop expressed.
The book is already a major success, with different parts of it resonating with different people.
It was published in Europe, and is available for purchase on Amazon, Europe Books, and locally at The Book Barn at Massy Stores, New Era Bookshop in the Courtyard Mall, and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. It is also available in stores in the United States and London in the United Kingdom.
Speaking on her new position as a SGCC Director, Dr Bishop said she is interested in strengthening regional collaboration in her new role, as well as creating opportunities for cross-border engagement, especially between Guyana and Suriname.
“I also want to contribute to creating more inclusive opportunities, especially for women and young professionals, so that they can access a platform that allows them to grow and to lead as well,” she said.
