“We’re going to make history this year” – Miss Guyana Universe Director

– 8 beauties set to complete for local title on September 2

Award-winning pageant director, Teri Brown-Walker who acquired the Miss Universe franchise for Guyana is confident that the country will make history by placing at this year’s international pageant, which is set for November 18, 2023, in El Salvador.
During a recent interview with the Guyana Times, Brown-Walker stated, “We’re going to place. The first goal is to be the winner of the costume contest, and the second is to be the first to ever place in the history of that competition. It would be great to win, but I’m just taking it in small steps.”
She acquired the franchise earlier this year after she applied to the open call for applicants.
“The Miss Universe organization had an open call for applicants. And I am an American citizen so I applied for some US States opportunities but there were none available, and they really wanted me to be a part of the team so they opened it up to me to select any available country. Most of my friends are Guyanese and of course, they were pushing me [to] take Guyana,” Brown-Walker explained.
She added, “I didn’t know anything really about the country other than through them and so with their support, I submitted my application.”
The director noted that at the time of applying, she was unaware that Guyana had previously been banned from the competition but she still saw the opportunity to challenge herself.
“I’ve had a pretty good success rate in the US so I took it on as a personal challenge to get this thing going and we’re going to make history this year because we’re going to have our first placement ever at the Miss Universe International Pageant,” a confident Brown-Walker shared.
Brown-Walker added that she was offered the opportunity to host the pageant in 2024 given the short timeline for this year’s competition but she was determined to pull off the impossible with the support of her team.
This year’s pageant saw a total of 500 applicants who expressed interest, however, when the residency requirements process began that number was reduced to 90 because of competition fees and other deterrents.
The eight delegates were given the freedom to select their own title to represent a specific region, village, or town across Guyana. The Miss Universe Guyana pageant will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown on September 2, 2023.

GET TO KNOW THE DELEGATES:

MISS GEORGETOWN – Lieve Blanckaert
Crowned Miss India Guyana 2015, model, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Lieve Blanckaert who represents the capital city of Georgetown is determined to leave an impact as she takes the stage on coronation day at this year’s pageant.
She is an Operation Manager by profession and is passionate about educating people on the benefits of holistic living and why it is important for our overall well-being.

“I want to send the message that holistic living is very important for us and it’s very important to take care of our overall well-being when Miss Teri brought back the Miss Universe Pageant, I was super excited and I knew I had to be a part of this, not only for me but for my community.”
She added, “I think my biggest challenge in everything right now is definitely trying to balance all of my roles, but the most rewarding part is knowing that I’m being impactful to my community and everyone’s like Lieve I’m so happy that you’re doing this because they know this has been my dream and I want to be a voice for change.”
Blanckaert shared that the biggest takeaway from her pageant experience thus far is being a role model for people.
According to Blanckaert, “If I win the Miss Universe Guyana title, I will use this platform to continue educating people on the importance of holistic living. I believe it’s very important to live a balanced lifestyle and I’ll collaborate with local groups, NGOs [and] schools to spread the message.”

MISS ONDERNEEMING – Anika Felicien

In an effort to make her family proud and walk in the footsteps of her mom and grandmother, Miss Onderneeming Universe, Anika Felicien entered this year’s pageant to fulfill a childhood aspiration as well as advocate for mental health awareness.

The full-time student who is finishing off her Associate’s Degree in Communications at the University of Guyana shared that her initial challenge was finding a designer for her dress however, her family played a huge part in braving that storm.
“My family has been a huge support… I think when everything comes together, I’ll owe every part of this experience to them.
She confidently added, “The biggest takeaway for me will be the ability to believe that I can do anything that I set my mind to. I struggled with self-confidence before and to be able to be here at this stage where I’m a part of the competition and I’m going to be on stage I think no matter the result the biggest takeaway would be my self-confidence would be at an all-time high.”
Felicien, who is competing in a pageant for the first time shared that should she be crowned the new Miss Universe Guyana; her platform will be used to educate people on mental health and more.
“My platform will be dedicated to creating and educating people on mental health as well as putting systems in place for not only mental health education to be in schools but for it to be on a wider scale. And to be talked about to an extent that the stigma is not only broken but It becomes a casual conversation and we don’t have to deal with a place whereby you’re judged for something that you can’t control.”

MISS DEMERARA-MAHAICA – Mackella Profeiro

Real Estate Agent and brand ambassador, Mackella Profeiro plunged into the world of pageantry for the first time with the hope of inspiring her younger sisters to be a better version of themselves as well as empowering and teaching both men and women about the importance of confidence.
Profeiro shared that she was encouraged to enter the competition and after some research, she decided to give it a shot.
“I did my research and I really thought about this and the Miss Universe committee it’s all about empowering women of every background, [and] every ethnicity, and this is a chance to teach people the importance of confidence and how important it is to love yourself,” she explained.

Profeiro unveiled that when her photos were officially released on social media, she was a bit bothered by the negative comments about her teeth but didn’t let it affect her overall confidence and her ability to press forward in this competition.
According to the young woman, her most rewarding moments have been the amount of support she has received from people who are inspired by her. She added that winning the Miss Universe Guyana title would be the chance to be a voice for those who have been unheard.
“This is a chance to amplify the voices of those who have been unheard. This is a chance to speak for meaningful causes such as the importance of education and gender equity and so many more things. this is a chance to empower women and men on a global and local level.”

MISS ESSEQUIBO ISLANDS-WEST DEMERARA – Chandini Baljor

“My greatest motivation is knowing that tomorrow I will be a better person than I am today. I would have grown; I would have learned and there would always be something new to add to who I was yesterday.”
Miss Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Universe, Chandini Baljor is ready to leave a lasting impression on the stage as she advocates for climate change. According to Baljor, she was encouraged to get into pageantry by our very own Miss World Guyana 2018 Ambika Ramraj while backstage at the National Cultural Centre.

Baljor shared that her biggest challenge was time management but she is determined to find balance to achieve all of her goals. She added that her most rewarding moments have been forming new bonds and receiving support from strangers across social media who are inspired by her.
“My biggest takeaway from this pageantry has got to be how impactful I was on different people’s lives without even knowing I was doing so much or I would have done so much for them in that moment or in the future. I’ll be honest I don’t even think we’re into half of what we’re supposed to be doing as yet, but to know that I would have impacted people in such a manner and they’re willing to show up and root for me means a lot.”
The determined young woman added, “Should I become your next Miss Universe Guyana I would love to expand on my platform which is geared towards championing climate change through educational campaigns. I believe it’s important that I use my voice to be a transformational leader by encouraging collaborations. I want to see collaborations with both reputable local and international environmental groups. I believe it’s very important that we have collaborations to raise funds for reforestation and supporting programs for sustainable developments for Guyana.”

MISS LA PARFAITE HARMONIE – Melissa McLean
Young entrepreneur Melissa McLean, who too is a first-time pageant contestant, is using her platform to advocate for better living conditions for families in underprivileged communities across Guyana.
“This is my first pageant, I did it for the opportunities, just to feel empowered, to grow [and] to advocate for people that are less fortunate.”

According to McLean, “The most challenging part of this journey would be time management, getting everything done. And the most rewarding would be seeing my family, [and] my friends genuinely supporting me and I can’t wait to make them proud. They work so hard behind the scenes.”
The ambitious young woman shared that her biggest takeaway from this experience would be the importance of community and family, adding that if it wasn’t for the people that she has around her she wouldn’t have been this calm and composed.
“My motivation is where I want to be, where I see myself, so what I do now I want to act how my higher self or my best self would act so that Is what really motivates me to keep going.”
McLean highlighted “If I have the opportunity to become Miss Universe Guyana, I would use the platform to better advocate for children and families in underprivileged communities. I would want to see every child having access to quality education so they themselves can be empowered and educated to take up their future and also through sustainable livelihood development where fishing and farming practices can be given to families so that they can earn an income for themselves. And also, we can have incentives for entrepreneurial opportunities so that skills and passions can be nurtured and we’ll have a Guyana where the poverty rate reduces and there is economic equality for everyone.”

MISS POMEROON-SUPERNAAM – Lisa Narine
Highly driven by purpose, Miss Pomeroon-Supernaam Universe, Lisa Narine is determined to make a change in the lives of citizens across the country through skills training and entrepreneurial opportunities.
The ambitious woman shared that if she is successful in acquiring the title of Miss Universe Guyana, she would use her platform “To [offer] skills-based classes to persons in less fortunate areas so that they are able to take that skillset that they have gained, coupled with business and entrepreneurship abilities to foster sustainable businesses of their own so that they can then turn and create a constant stream of income for themselves and their families.”
“Right now, it’s concentrated in my community but if I’m able to grow this to a national level and then with the help of the Miss Universe organization take it to the international platform then that itself will be a major growth for that cause.”
According to Narine, she entered the pageant because the Miss Universe organization has created many successful stories and this is an opportunity to share hers with the world.

“The most important thing that I have gathered so far since joining the pageant is that my platform has been able to gain the recognition and growth that it hasn’t been able to in quite some time,” Narine added.
She shared that she also faced a challenge with finding balance in her day-to-day life and other responsibilities. However, “The one fulfilling thing for me is the support I’ve been getting, not only from my family but my community in general and the country.”
“Being a young woman from a rural community to becoming the woman that I am today, I would say this platform has allowed me to become more of a transformational leader, to be more confident, empowered, and most importantly to be a voice for my platform. I believe that if we have a purpose in everything we push for, then we’re able to be successful and be an impact and be a force for change,” Narine told Guyana Times.

MISS PAKARAIMA – Britny Mack
Twenty-three-year-old, Britny Mack is representing the Pakaraima (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). Her platform is Violence Against Women
Her hobbies include interior decorating, dancing, and riding bikes. Apart from helping at the hospital, I truly enjoy the pleasure of spending time with my daughter. Additionally, I enjoy “gyming” and sharing my dance skills with the Latin Heat Dance Studio.

She is a final-year student at the Texila American University.
Born in the heart of Guyana, from a lineage of strong and remarkable women who embody true determination and willpower.
“It is with this that I stand in confidence that I am indeed capable of being your next Miss Universe Guyana. I would like to play a role in educating my nation; more specifically from a medical perspective. I believe education is power and I would like to reach our youths because they are our future. I would like to leave my print only in an absolutely positive way.
“I see this as an opportunity to develop my character. A stepping stone for me to be the person I aspire to be. I believe the exposure will help me to be more confident in my character and I will be able to learn from all these beautiful souls in this pageant.”
She remains humbled to be a part of an organization that she believes will give her the platform to truly represent my beautiful country to the best of her ability.

MISS BARTICA – COLLINE WARD
This 28-year-old beauty is representing the mining town of Bartica found in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). Her platform is Criminal Justice Reform/ Mentorship and Empowerment. She completed her studies at the New York University and is currently a Pre-Law Student and a small business owner.
“I should be the next Miss Universe Guyana 2023 because I have a voice. Not just any voice, but a very powerful one. I want to use my voice to gain unity between countries, and to speak up and out about many different humanitarian issues. I want to use my voice to teach children, women, and men great examples of how to live a more sustainable lifestyle without continuing to cause further damage to ourselves.”

She stated that her platform has always been mentorship and empowerment. She is a firm believer that if we invest in other women, they will spend the rest of their lives giving back and paying it forward.
“People need figures like me to help make a change or else things won’t change. As you can see what’s happening in Ukraine right now is terrible but this is a direct consequence of what happens when we elect the wrong people to have power. Being Miss Universe Guyana would help me a make change, not only for Guyana but for the World.”
She noted that pageants can serve as an amazing platform because of their growing audience and feels that given the power she has today, she believes she has the potential to inspire and teach others.
I know being Miss Universe Guyana, I will not be able to change everything, but at least I stood up for what I believe in. If I could give advice to all of the young women or anyone who is willing to listen, remember that whatever your circumstances are, you are still responsible for yourself and your choices.”