Guyanese professional women honored at IWD awards gala

Late poet Laureate Maya Angelou once said “Each time a woman stands for herself without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women. Like her, Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markel made it known that women do not need to find their voices, they need to be empowered to use it and people need to be urged to listen.

These are fitting echoes to compliment Guyanese-born professionals, Dr. Veronica Wiltshire, chief medical officer, and Cloyette Harris-Stoute, founder of Guyanese Girls Rock; a Blog platform dedicated to highlighting and celebrating the accomplishments of Guyanese women across the globe, who were both recently presented with the Ken Rampersaud Show International Women’s Day Award, at Code Lounge in Queens.

Dr. Wiltshire, born and raised in Victoria Village, is a community health advocate whose goal is to ensure community clinics give quality and equitable healthcare in the most compassionate and respectable manner to those under-insured and without insurance.

Passionate about mentorship, Dr. Wiltshire who inspires minority students who are interested in medicine, called on women to put themselves first, noting that health is wealth.

Ken Rampersaud described Wiltshire as humble and kind and thanked the doctor for her sterling contributions in the community.

Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina by way of New York, Dr. Wiltshire said, Rampersaud brought “us women together who are trailblazers and who represent Guyana.”

“One of the things that I like the most is the Guyana flag and what it represents. There’s strength and that is what we represent in Guyanese women but one of the things that I wanted to talk to us about, was making sure that we prioritize our health and our wellness.”

“Right in the United States alone, 44 percent of women have some form of heart disease and a lot of times it is caused by hypertension, diabetes, depression, smoking, not exercising, and not eating a healthy diet.”

“Most of these ailments are preventable if we take time to make sure that we’re doing the right thing as we go about our day. We must prioritize ourselves. Remember to put yourself first because if you don’t take care of yourself, then you’re not going to be able to take care of others,” said Dr. Wiltshire.

Her main goal is to ensure policies are in place for staff and patients to be happy while at the clinic and to work hard to advocate for patients to have the needed resources and quality care.

Wiltshire is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships including the 2019 “Women of Influence” and the Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation Award. She also received a Special Recognition Education Award” from the American Academy of Pediatrics for her contributions in education; and the Danny Glover “Women of Power” Award for empowering rural women and girls.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Health Education Relief Organization, an international volunteer global health service organization.

Wiltshire enjoys spending time with her family and meeting new people. She is married and has three sons and a newborn baby daughter.

Rampersaud lauded Cloyette Harris-Stoute for her continued service empowering young women.

A passionate advocate for women empowerment and teen mentoring, Harris-Stoute, credits her successful upbringing to the inspiration she received from an all-woman family dynamic.

She carries forward this same motivating spirit to transform the world through service by launching Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation, Inc, in 2017.

Harris-Stoute later established the Guyanese Girls Rock Young Women’s Leadership Academy — a development program for high school girls of Guyanese heritage.

Inspired to do even more for her community, the tireless champion had the vision to create an event to honor Guyanese women who are demonstrated leaders and accomplished achievers in the Guyanese community.

That dream came to life in June 2018 when Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation hosted its inaugural Honors and Awards Luncheon, recognizing 10 “Women of Influence.” The organization also awarded scholarships to the graduates of their Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

Harris-Stoute who immigrated to Queens more than two decades ago, earned a bachelor’s degree in health information management, and a master’s degree in medical informatics from SUNY – Downstate, College of Health-Related Professions. She is currently an IT manager at a top New York City hospital.

With Harris-Stoute as its driving force, the Guyanese Girls Rock Movement has become a source of pride for many in the Guyanese diaspora. Her motto “You are more than enough – you were born to rock!” is a reminder to women and girls to know their self-worth and to own their greatness, states the GGR website.