By Andrea Hendricks

-GOAL scholarship graduate shares story of resilience, struggles

BIBI Feroze-Singh, 23, of Montrose, overcame physical disability barriers to earn multiple certificates through the Government of Guyana’s GOAL Scholarship programme, securing employment and building a path toward higher education.

Earlier this week, she moved across the National Cultural Centre stage with a smile that carried years of struggle, patience and hope. For her, that moment was more than a graduation ceremony. It was proof that a life once blocked by barriers could still move forward. It was also a reminder that education does not belong only to those who can follow the usual path.

Feroze-Singh did not get the chance to attend a regular school because of her physical disability. While other children moved easily into classrooms, her path was shaped by stairs, distance and dependence using a wheelchair. She said her mother had to lift her up the stairs, and that small act made school feel out of reach.

“I had to be lifted up the stairs by my mother, and it was too difficult,” she said.

For years, that barrier stood between her and the education she wanted. It was not a lack of desire that kept her away. It was the weight of a system that was not built for her needs. Yet even then, the dream did not disappear; it only waited for the right door to open.

That door opened when she began learning with the Guyana Council of Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) through the Learning Lab and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Protection programmes. She started at the basic learning levels and studied on weekends only, taking one step at a time.

Her courses included Disability Advocacy, Health and Safety, Executive Business Management, Beauty and Wellness and a high school diploma. Online learning gave her a chance she had never had before. It fitted well into her life instead of forcing her life to fit around school.

In an interview with is publication, she stated, “It fits into my schedule, and it also gives me the opportunity to build my portfolio so that I can get a job anywhere.”

For Feroze-Singh, that convenience was more than comfort. It was freedom. It allowed her to learn, grow and keep moving.

She did not choose her courses by chance. She chose them with purpose. She wanted to build the kind of skills that could help her work in the corporate world, but she also held another dream close to her heart: running a successful small business one day. That is why her learning journey was about more than passing exams. It was about building versatility and creating more than one possible future.

A BRIGHTER FUTURE

The GOAL Scholarship helped make that future feel real. It gave her support, direction and the chance to keep aiming higher. Each certificate became a brick in the foundation of a better life. Each new skill gave her more confidence to imagine what comes next.

Her story shows that education can be a tool not only for employment, but for independence, dignity and self-belief, especially for a person living with a disability.

The road was not always smooth. One of her biggest challenges was poor internet connection, which could easily interrupt her studies. But Bibi refused to let that problem stop her. She found a simple but smart solution: a backup mobile data plan. That decision may sound small, but it showed strong thinking and quiet determination.

“If you don’t have proper Internet connection it can tamper with your studies,” she said.

Instead of giving up when the connection failed, she prepared for the problem before it could defeat her. That is the kind of lesson her journey teaches. Success is not only about talent. It is also about finding ways around the setbacks that try to block your progress. She kept going because she understood that every challenge can be managed with planning and patience.

Now, her hard work has paid off. She has secured a job as a Customer Service Representative at a local company because of the certificates she earned through the GOAL programme.

For someone who once struggled to access basic schooling, that achievement is deeply meaningful. It shows how far determination can carry a person when support is in place.

Her education did not end with a job, though. It opened the door to even bigger dreams. She now hopes to pursue a bachelor’s degree and, eventually, a master’s degree in the not-so-distant future.

“All of these certificates that I have will help me move on to higher academic pursuits such a bachelor’s degree and ultimately my master’s in the future,” she told this publication.

Her story is not just about finding employment. It is about building a future with no limit on ambition and drive. It is about proving that one certificate can lead to another, and that learning can keep changing a life, long after the first class is over.

Feroze-Singh advice to others is simple: “Be honest and full of hope.” She used the opportunity to encourage persons with disabilities to start small, especially with six-month certificate courses, and to begin with weekend classes if that feels easier.

Start small with the six months certificate courses before you go for the bigger ones,” she said. She also reminded others that taking weekend courses can help them understand how things will work before moving on to bigger goals. “It’s an opportunity to build yourself and there is support available if difficulty arises,” she said.

She is also advocating strongly for others in the disability community to take full advantage of the GOAL programme.

“As persons with disabilities, we don’t usually get these opportunities, so while it is here make use of it,” she told this publication.

 In her voice was both urgency and care. She knows what it means to be left out, and she wants others to step forward while support is available.

Her message is clear: “Do not wait for the perfect moment. Start where you are, use what is offered and keep moving.”

This young woman’s story comes full circle in that image of her moving across the National Cultural Centre stage, certificate in hand and hope in her heart.

It was a small step for some, but for her it was a powerful sign that barriers can be broken. Her journey shows that education can transform lives, even when the path begins with pain and doubt. It also proves that determination, when matched with the right support, can open doors that once seemed closed forever.

Bibi Feroze-Singh is living proof that a dream delayed can still become a dream fulfilled.