IT’S hard to tell by just looking at her, but Olive Gopaul has some rather gastronomic plans for the future.
She inadvertently spilled the beans while discussing her career goal with the Sunday Chronicle a few nights ago.
“Two things,” she said when the question was put to her. “To become a marketer, and to own a restaurant chain throughout the Caribbean.”
She’s also a fanatic when it comes to dogs. “I’m a dog-lover,” she says. “I have eight of them.” The thing she likes most about canines, she said, is that special bond they share with humans. “I think that dogs understand humans; they understand everything that you say…. because they have their own way of thinking and processing ideas. And each dog has a different personality.”
It has been quite a number of years since she’s been around dogs. “I have always had dogs around me because, growing up, my Mom had, and still has, a farm. And there have always been dogs around it. I love taking care of them but moreso, I love telling stories about them.”
Asked about her involvement with the Miss Guyana Universe Pageant, which has been a sore issue in some quarters since she has had the privilege of being in a major pageant before, the former Miss Guyana World said:
“For pageants, this is my ultimate goal.” No one encouraged her to enter as was the case with some of her fellow contestants.
“This is me,” she said. “This is very personal; it’s something I really…I mean truly want do because it is my ultimate goal. It’s something that I’ve always dreamt of.”
As to how the two pageants differ in her view, she said: “In terms of training, Miss Guyana World is more detailed, in that the girls are groomed from the time they enter the pageant, in every area. I think that with Miss Guyana Universe… the training is not so detailed….that whoever happens to be the queen, that person goes through the detailed grooming. With Miss Guyana World, we start (the grooming process) from the inception.”
She, however, feels that neither is more prestigious than the other, even though Miss World has been around for much longer than Miss Universe. They are both highly acclaimed and attract viewership from all across the world. The only difference she sees is that with Miss Universe, the girls are more marketed than the delegates of Miss World.
Asked what’s the one thing she has learnt from her past involvement with the Miss World pageant that would give her that little edge she may need in this contest, Olive said:
“Miss Guyana World has opened lots of doors for me in terms of being able to come in touch with me; understanding who I am; and definitely created opportunities for me so that I can have a feel for what it would be like to reach my goal at the end of the day. Because every single thing that I’ve done; my involvement in charitable work; community development projects; television; all of that put together; convinces me that I want to become a marketer; that I want to own a restaurant chain throughout the Caribbean.”
As to whether she is any closer to her goal now, than when she first came to the public’s attention as a hot contender for the Miss Guyana World 2001 title, her response was:
“Definitely. I must say I am much closer now to achieving my goals. I know there’s still a lot more I have to do, but I am now more focused and I really and truly understand why I want to become a marketer, and why I want to own a restaurant chain throughout the Caribbean.”
Recalling a statement she had made early into the interview, she said: “Since at school, I’ve always wanted to be involved in business because I see it as a very creative yet challenging avenue. Being in business has always been important to me. The business world is very challenging; it is very adventurous. It calls for a lot of dedication, sacrifice and creativity. And I am willing to put that in. As for the restaurant, cooking is one of my hobbies. I love cooking up a storm. And I love baking black cake.”
Surprisingly, it was not from her mother that she developed her love for the kitchen and culinary skills, but from being around her maternal aunt. “My aunts…they always used to cook…and I have always been around them; being in the kitchen; seeing what they’re doing. And that’s how I came to develop my taste for cooking.”
Now 24, Olive has given herself until 2006 to get her restaurant chain off the ground.
Meanwhile, it’s back to the books for her since she wants to go for her degree in Business Management having recently gained a Diploma in Marketing from the University of Guyana (UG).
Olive would have liked to further her studies in Marketing but, unfortunately, there is no scope for that here. And, from the little she has seen of the programme being offered at UWI (the University of the West Indies), she’s decided it will be of no use to her since she has already covered most of the topics.
Fortunately, the UWI offers a better programme in Business Management, so she will be more than likely pursuing her studies there come next year, preferably at the St Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago, which will give her ample time and scope to carry out some initial studies into the restaurant business.
“I have already done some paperwork outlining what I need to get my restaurant started,” was the beauty’s confident assertion.
We asked her the same question we put to Karen with regard to her chances …now she’s had time to size up the competition. Olive responded: “I must say that being in this pageant is very challenging.”
It’s her most challenging to date she said, outside of Miss World for any number of reasons.
“I think that a lot of people believe that I should not compete in this pageant; I think I have a very good chance of winning ..but I have worked pageants before…and strange things usually happen. I know I have a good chance of winning and the other girls are pretty competitive too. They’re all pretty in their own way.”
Her platform this time around is HIV/AIDS, same as it was when she successfully contested the ‘Miss UG’ pageant back in 2001. For Miss Guyana World, it was turtle conservation.
Asked whether she has given up on teaching altogether, she said: “Not exactly but teaching wasn’t exactly lending itself to Marketing, so the only choice that I had was to leave it…go out there [and] get some experience in business. But I do intend to go back to teaching.”
Fluent in Spanish, Olive taught the language for four years at St Stanislaus College.
These days, besides hosting the Lotto and anchoring the Six O’Clock News Magazine on GTV Channel 11, Olive Gopaul is also heavily involved in the HIV/AIDS campaign with Lifeline Counselling and COURTS, as patron of the Global Anti-AIDS campaign to raise awareness among young people.