By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — From the neighborhoods of Georgetown to global television screens, and now into the lecture halls of American academia and hospital wards, Guyanese singer, songwriter, and advocate Lisa Punch-Benn has channeled her creative platform into a multi-sectoral career across education, nursing, and mental-health advocacy.
Best known for her breakout run on the American television network ABC’s reality singing competition Rising Star and her reign as Miss World Guyana 2015, Punch-Benn is now building a life of public service in the United States.
Reflecting on her journey with HGP Nightly News, Punch-Benn shared the realities of emigrating from Guyana at age 21 with limited resources, navigating economic hardship in New York, and subsequently earning multiple university degrees to serve vulnerable communities.
Walking Brooklyn’s Streets: The Immigrant Struggle and the ‘Rising Star’ Breakthrough
Leaving Guyana as a 21-year-old artist, Punch-Benn encountered the harsh economic realities familiar to many Caribbean immigrants adjusting to life abroad:
- Navigating New York: Arriving in Brooklyn with few personal connections and no financial safety net, she spent her initial months walking the streets alongside her cousin submitting job applications wherever vacancies existed.
- The ‘Rising Star’ Catalyst: Her breakthrough arrived unexpectedly when she auditioned for ABC’s Rising Star, capturing international acclaim with her powerhouse vocals and introducing her talent to millions of global viewers.
- Purpose Over Pageantry: Following her television success, she went on to represent Guyana at the Miss World 2015 competition in Sanya, China. Rather than pursuing conventional pageantry accolades, she utilized the international stage to elevate suicide awareness, driven by Guyana’s historically high suicide statistics.
“We didn’t have anything. We didn’t know anybody like that. So we were walking the streets looking for jobs, trying to fill out applications at those various places that we would have stopped at,” Punch-Benn recalled.
“And then one day when I was at home, I saw the opportunity to, you know, enter Rising Star. And that’s where everything changed for me.”
Confronting Depression and Championing Mental Health
Despite achieving international visibility, Punch-Benn experienced personal battles with depression and emotional emptiness, prompting an inward search for deeper purpose:
- Addressing Root Causes: Recognizing the silent toll of emotional distress, she transformed her pain into advocacy, establishing grassroots school-tour initiatives and youth outreach programs focused on depression, self-worth, and suicide prevention.
- Family Grounding: Today a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and youth mentor, she credits her domestic life and faith with providing balance and grounding her outlook on public service.
Academic Reinvention: Education and Clinical Nursing
Viewing higher education as the most sustainable route to break cycles of poverty, Punch-Benn systematically acquired advanced academic qualifications to equip herself for clinical and social intervention:
- Dual Undergrad and Master’s Degrees: She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Psychology, followed by a Master’s degree in Education.
- Clinical Nursing Training: She is currently reading for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), directly applying her psychological training during hospital clinical rotations with patients navigating acute psychiatric and mental-health crises.
- Classroom Impact: Alongside her healthcare studies, she works as a substitute teacher, bridging educational instruction with adolescent mentorship.
Words of Wisdom for Youth
For young people navigating identity, economic hardship, and career uncertainty, Punch-Benn underscored the necessity of gratitude, perseverance, and spiritual faith:
“I feel like we, as a society, we run away from praising, giving thanks, being grateful in our hearts for where we are at the moment…” Punch-Benn observed.
“Continue to trust in God and believe that His way is the right one for you.”
Her story stands as a testament that humble beginnings do not dictate where an individual finishes, demonstrating how resilience, education, and faith can transform personal hardship into lasting community impact.
