Jyoti Devi Hardat also called “Jo” and “Jay” is a contestant in the Miss Guyana Universe Pageant slated for October 26 at the Pegasus poolside and since her arrival in Guyana a few days ago, she has been creating some buzz as the potential queen to represent Guyana.
This 25-year-old beauty hails from Timehri on the East Bank of Demerara but migrated to the United States since she was a child.
She started her primary education at St Angela’s Primary where she graduated as the valedictorian. She then went to St Stanislaus College, but continued her education at Richmond Hill High School, in New York where she graduated with her High School Diploma with Honours and Merit and also received the President’s Award of Excellence and was inducted into the National Honour Society.
She completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at CUNY, the City College in Harlem, New York. Aside from that, she received certification from the CTI (CONNECT Training Institute) after she completed a five-week intensive course in domestic violence.
This young lady has vast experience in pageantry hence her decision to compete for the coveted title. She became involved in pageantry when she first started to help others prepare for the intellectual aspect of this type of activity.
After she weighed the pros and cons of her participation, she decided to use this platform to her advantage for her cause on a wider scale. Her sister’s death was her main motivation for her physical participation in Miss New York USA competition.
“The anger I had built up over the years due to her senseless murder, had ultimately become my secret weapon, my driving force to want to make a difference in our society.”
Her experience thus far has been an inspirational and a learning one experience. Pageantry is a great way to help bring your cause to the spotlight but more importantly, she said, it provides a forum for open discussion as it gives you access to many ears, eyes, minds and hearts.
She hopes to win the title which will give her the opportunity to represent Guyana to the best of her ability at an international forum through utmost patriotism and support of her fellow Guyanese.
She also expects to build positive relationships with her fellow delegates, since she believes that they can learn from each other.
“Coming into this pageant, I expect to gain a larger audience for my movement against domestic violence through the use of the story of my sister’s murder. I believe that education is the key to prevention of domestic violence and it is my mission to use education to change the mindset of our nation towards domestic violence”.
She believes that in order to win the international title in January, the Guyanese delegate must be smart, confident, personable, adaptable, prepared with sufficient training and able to stand out from the crowd. An important tool, she added, is the support from the citizens.
Hardat, who is in full pageant mode, said that her greatest role model is the President of the United States, Barack Obama owing to his vast determination, discipline and rainbow of hope.
On a lighter note, Hardat’s favourite pasttimes include dancing; volunteering – her time to enhance the lives of others; playing paint ball, and exploring nature, museums and forgotten territories. She also has a fascination with antiques and history – from cars, to architecture, lost treasure and more.
Quite often, her family would usually prepare a variety of Guyanese dishes, from roti and curry to pepper pot and being a lover of good food, she does not think she could choose a favourite since they are all mouthwatering.
Her favourite colour is definitely red, since it is the first colour that is represented on the Golden Arrowhead and symbolises the zeal and dynamism of our Guyanese society.
It is also associated with love, which is what her life is filled with and what she is doing her best to bestow unto others. “Love makes the world go round and influences productivity and positive growth,” the beauty stated.