By Tassia Dickenson
Twenty-six-year-old Liza Narine, who represented Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) in the Miss Universe Guyana pageant, outshone seven other delegates to cop the title when the pageant was hosted recently at the Guyana Marriott Hotel last weekend.
Lieve Blanckaert of Georgetown and Chandini Baljor of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) were named the first and second runners-up, respectively.
Narine will now travel to El Salvador to represent Guyana at the international pageant, slated for November 18.
Guyana has not been represented at the international pageant since 2018, following a suspension by the international body. Miss Guyana Universe 2017, Rafieya Hussain, was the last queen to represent Guyana. This year’s queen, Liza Narine, has vowed to bring home the coveted crown.
Narine is a creative coordinator, entrepreneur, and radio host, who holds a diploma in business and marketing management, and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in international relations at the University of Guyana. In a recent interview with this publication, she spoke of her plans to showcase Guyana on the international platform come November.
“I know we can really bring to light all aspects of our country and the beauty of our people on that stage; but, most importantly, to showcase that a young woman like myself, hailing from a rural community, made her dream a reality of representing our great nation…
“So can any little one looking forward, no matter where you come from or who you are. I want them to understand that they, too, can accomplish anything. The ultimate goal is not only to be the first Guyanese to create history by placing at the Miss Universe pageant, but to win the title,” she detailed.
“And to understand that I will be the first woman after six years to hold this title, and the thought of wearing my country’s name across my chest on that international stage, just fills me with an enormous amount of joy and pride. It’s also a reminder of what a great responsibility this is, with a powerful platform to advocate for various causes, and also the responsibility of representing my people well and showcasing what Guyana has to offer in that international arena. So, for that I wake up every day feeling truly grateful for this opportunity,” an elated Narine posited.
Now that the local pageant is over, preparations are moving apace for her international appearance.
“There’s a lot of work going into my preparations, from physical training with gym and diet to walking and speaking coaching. There’s also a lot of work to ensure that I am wardrobe-ready, with both local and international designers, so we can best showcase the artistic and creative aspects of Guyanese work and culture. Everything that needs to be done is in progress to ensure that, come November 18, we are ready to represent Guyana well,” she explained.
Narine shared that she had her challenges during the local pageant, but with the support system she has, she persevered and stayed focused on her ultimate goal – to win the title.
“My journey was far from easy. I still needed to balance my various other activities in my life as a daily creative coordinator, radio host, a student, my voluntary work, along with my other hobbies in modelling and dancing and, of course, still making time for my family and friends. But this was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I knew I had to put in the work.”
“Thankfully, I have an amazing team of people, that includes my family and friends and my coaches, who were such a great support system. That really helped when it came to pageant preparations with the essentials needed and also my training. But I always say that no matter how hard it gets, every experience is worth it, especially when you’re doing the things you love; but you have to learn to enjoy and appreciate the process,” the newly crowned queen has said.
With her purpose having been a driving force throughout her pageant journey, Narine shared her plans to expand her platform: ‘NurtureNew’, which offers skills-based classes to persons in less fortunate communities by partnering with both governmental and non-governmental organisations to help the initiative reach a larger audience.
“In everything I do, I try to have my purpose; and that platform is my purpose. 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,” she explained.
NurtureNew, which was launched in 2021, is a cause aimed at eradicating poverty through skills and business building. Narine previously shared that if she is able to grow this to a national level, and then with the help of the Miss Universe organization take it to the international platform, that itself would be a major growth for the cause.
“My platform was initially launched in 2021. Unfortunately, that was during the period when the world was just starting to overcome COVID, and businesses were getting back to supporting initiatives like mine, so the heavy support I needed was not there; but I was still able to offer classes on my own to students within my community, but on a much smaller scale. So far, I’ve been able to gain recognition for this project, and have already started to have more fruitful conversations with a few organizations who are willing to jump on board with seeing this grow,” she revealed.
She added, “I’m also looking to liaise with some governmental organizations that currently offer similar classes, so I can be supplemental to persons who are living in communities that do not have access to these classes.”
Narine, who has aspirations to enter into the political arena, told this publication that it has always been a dream of hers to compete in the Miss Universe Pageant – one of the biggest in the world. [Photos taken from Miss Universe Guyana Facebook Page]
