Name: Arian Dahlia Richmond

Age: 23 years old

Height: 167 cm

Symmetry: 32-26-33

Biography: Art forms are vast, but Arian Dahlia Richmond has learned that they are all significantly connected. As an entrepreneur and founder of Youth Development Guyana, she is notably efficient and compassionate in all that she does and is always willing to learn. Ms. Richmond is an accomplished and enthusiastic communications professional with experience managing social media, marketing, and public relations functions. Recently, she was awarded a GOAL scholarship to study at the University of Uganda for a degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Accomplishments:

• GOAL scholarship awardee 2022
• Opened her first physical location for her business Dahlia L’artista, built from the ground up in 2021
• Miss Emerald International First Runner-up 2020
• Miss Caribbean Culture Queen First Runner-up 2019
• Miss Guyana Culture Queen 2019
• Miss Bartica Regatta Queen 2018
• National Youth Award of Service in recognition of dedicated efforts in promoting women and girls in education and entrepreneurship 2017
• Youth Parliament Debate Opposition Winner 2016
• JOF Haynes Debating Competition Winner 2016

Scholastic/Career Goals: My educational pursuits are ongoing, for I believe there is always something to learn. The degree I will acquire in Tourism will allow me to be the optimal ambassador for Guyana, making it easier for the world to experience our vast beauty! My goal is to provide gainful employment for youth by owning Guyana’s first chain of beauty stores offering unisex and organic self-care products. My aim is to liberate the minds of the youth and coach them to become business owners themselves.

Best Place to Work For: As an entrepreneur, I can personally attest to the independence and heightened sense of responsibility owning one’s business brings. It is my belief that everyone should attempt to run a small business at least once in their lives. It will allow you to see that the best person to work for is yourself.

Manifesto: Can you imagine not being able to read your child’s prescription when they’re ill? Nor being able to write a loving message on their birthday card? According to the World Bank, this is the reality for 15% of Guyanese. This is no mere statistic, for I have seen their struggle firsthand. Over the past 5 years, I’ve observed parents who are unable to assist their children while I volunteered at youth development camps. The effects of this national issue will directly affect parents’ access to work-related and educational opportunities, GDP, and stunted social mobility on the economic ladder.

A transformation beckons with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Government of Guyana (GOG), donor organizations, NGOs, and the children themselves who have a direct interest in the improved livelihood of their parents as their futures are tied. With this funding, we can hire teachers and seek volunteers to teach the life skill of literacy through remedial classes. Recordings of these classes will be made and posted to YouTube and Facebook for parents who have busy schedules or feel too ashamed to attend. Teachers will also be online at specific hours to answer questions and supply worksheets. Classes will be done in an innovative teaching style to target the adult learning curve. To address the stigma surrounding illiterate parents, programs will be shaped by real-world scenarios such as reading and writing lessons in the form of filling out a mock-up of a bank loan application. The programs will target gaining literacy at the NGSA and CXC levels and will allow parents who were never able to sit these exams to do so. Building on the established pillars of part volunteers, my team and I at Youth Development Guyana can assist key stakeholders to mobilize parents to achieve literacy and move on the path to putting a dent in Guyana’s illiteracy rate.

Fun Facts:

• I am a distance runner.
• Spongebob is my favorite cartoon!
• I am terrified of heights but thoroughly enjoy plane rides.
• My mother tells me when I am extremely tired I snore like a construction worker after a long day.

Being the next Miss World Guyana: I believe a Queen’s duty is to serve, and this is what I have been doing for the past five years. The support that will come with being the next Miss World will allow my team and I to reach far more than the three hundred children we’ve already taught. Being crowned will enable holistic education to reach the length and breadth of Guyana and, in turn, increase the literacy rate! This is my vision for being honored with the title of Miss World Guyana 2022.

Academic:

• University of Uganda (Tourism and Hospitality Management), ongoing

Occupation:

• Student
• Entrepreneur