On April 10th, the first Guyanese Girls Rock Scholarship award was presented to Kelly Hyles at the “Bridging the Gap” Millennial Conference in Brooklyn, New York.  Kelly, a high school senior, was accepted to the top 8 Ivy League schools in the United States and was honor for academic excellence. She was presented with the Guyanese Girls Rock Certificate of Scholarship and a new Apple MacBook laptop computer by GGR’s Founder, Cloyette Harris-Stoute.

Kelly was born in Georgetown, Guyana and in 2009 she migrated to the United States with her family, primarily for the innumerable opportunities.  In 2012, Kelly was accepted to the High School for Math, Science and Engineering, one of the nine specialized high schools in New York. Her school has provided her with multiple opportunities to explore her unwavering curiosity. As a junior, her love for the Sciences grew as she enrolled in a biotechnology class at Mount Sinai Hospital. Later on, she interned in the Garcia-Ocana laboratory of Mount Sinai’s Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, where she researched the importance of the inactivity of the PRKCZ gene on beta cell growth in vivo. Biochemistry is the perfect blend of her interests since it possesses the unique ability to both quench and ignite her curiosity. Kelly’s goal is to become a neurosurgeon.

The event, which was hosted by the Women of Mission International (WOMI) organization, served as an opportunity to honor Guyanese women who have achieved success, and who have made significant contributions to their communities.  Kelly was one of four honoree who were recognized at the event. Each honorees received a plaque from WOMI, and were also presented with Certificate of Recognition by New York State Senator, Roxanne Persaud.   First Lady of Guyana, HE Sangra Granger, and Second Lady  Sita Nagamootoo were guests of honor.

The Guyanese Girls Rock scholarship fund will supply college-bound young women who are of Guyanese heritage with new laptop computers. Applicants will be selected based on a number of criteria including, academic accomplishments and financial needs. In addition to recognizing Kelly, the presentation provided a platform for the audience to learn more about the Guyanese Girls Rock organization and  the GGR scholarship award.

Special thanks go to Dr. Alisha Griffith and Renne Paris, who organized the event, and WOMI’s President, Linda Felix-Johnson, Vice-President, Ismay Griffith for their support.