Xabisa Hamilton, proves that reading can take you places

Dec 07, 2025 News

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By Shermon Hawker

(Kaieteur News) – In an age themed with tokens of technology, and where leisure and entertainment come fast-paced, the lure of same steers many minds away from an already dying culture of reading, more so, elements of religious literature. The likelihood of such engagement remains so bleak that one would be rendered awestricken to discover a youth in this era committing to the sacred pages with consistency and purpose.

Xabisa Hamilton, embraced by and large within the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, shows there are youths who positively balance the advances of modern amusement with the sacred responsibility of outfitting the mind with knowledge sourced from the word of God.

Adventist celebrity

Within the local SDA community, those who mounted to great peaks of recognition are seasoned singers, ace musicians, prominent athletes, alongside the leadership of the conference. One could also be established within the conference for other notable exploits. Having shouldered the conference at international events for most of her young adult life in six countries, it is therefore fitting to affirm Xabisa’s status as an Adventist celebrity in Guyana. To date, her passport has been stamped in Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Antigua, El Salvador, St. Vincent, and Colombia.

Who is Xabisa Hamilton?

The SDA youth, of North Sophia, Georgetown, is wrapped up in studies as a third-year medical student (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) at the University of Guyana (UG), aiming to advance the health system with her passionate service.

The 24-year-old is fourth among seven-siblings, and is a “very active” member of the Sophia SDA Church. Painting, massaging her mind with music, engaging in meaningful and rewarding conversations with friends, and wallowing in premium family time are foremost on the list of things she dearly enjoys. Our featured individual is stimulated much by a challenge, and has the disposition to pursue and cope with the new and the unknown. She is also a nature enthusiast.

“I’m very adventurous. I love nature. I love going for trips even in the backdams with all the mud and everything. I like horses. That’s my favorite animal. I’ve been on like two horsebacks before,” she shared with Kaieteur News. Setting no limits on herself, Xabisa, whose African name signifies completion, sets lofty goals and prayerfully endeavors to achieve them with God’s help.

Her upbringing was characterised with a sturdy tomboyish incline, where in the place of dolls and make-believe kitchens, she was instead testing her own limbs on the limbs of fruit trees, crossing trenches and going fishing.  She professed much love for water, despite being unable to swim. She also revisited with this publication, her athletic era where she participated in track and field events; Hamilton threw the javelin, heaved the shot put, and also hurled the discus, activities long since discontinued back in high school. Outside of athletics, she stroke drums professionally and is gearing herself to play the violoncello (cell) soon, as music is a language she interprets. She also articulates some amount of Spanish.

On the rise

“When I was younger, I told my dad when I grow up, I want to go in a plane, open the window, collect a piece of cloud and bring it back. Of course, that’s impossible, but that was my dream: to always fly. I was always intrigued by that.”

An opportunity would present itself, which narrowed that seeming impossibility down to as near a possibility as could be, for in 2016, she caught wind that participation and success in the bible connection challenge afforded persons the chance to travel overseas to represent the local conference. The bible connection is an annual bible study and quiz initiative of the SDA church that assesses the biblical scope of the participants drawn from multiple SDA conferences, and which climaxes at the international level of the Inter-American Division (IAD).

Seeing her chance to bring her dreams to life, she plunged in head-first. “Cool, sign me up. That was all I needed to hear.”

Ever since, she’s never looked back with regret. In fact, she has been able to soar among the very clouds that drifted in her dreams while she is en route each year to another country. Hamilton won her first local bible connection in 2019.

A foundation established

The various churches in Guyana would first conduct their individual bible connection challenges, from which the victorious participants would be taken to the district/zone level. At the conclusion, those successful would then ascend to the conference level, which then extracts the most ideal performer to represent the country (in the SDA context) at the Caribbean Union Conference (CARU) level, and ultimately, the wider IAD stage.

Xabisa participated and rose through the ranks by virtue of her famed retention skills and her tenacious grasp on the given focus areas (bible chapters, SDA literature), edging out competitors at the many local levels and confirming at break-neck speed that she was one to be on the look-out for.

Her dominance having been cemented, she has represented the Guyana Conference seven times at the CARU level, where she returned home an impressive 6 times with first place and is a one-time third place finisher, bolstering Guyana’s high standings in the completion. With each turn of the year, all eyes rest on her, being the prominent figure in that arena to represent Guyana, and she never toys with the hope of many.

At the IAD level, the proverbial heat came on. She has been a constant at that grand stage but never managed to clinch first place. It must be explained that questions are answered based on specific materials. The person with the most correct answers, in the fastest time, is declared the winner. This is to suggest that one may have the correct answers, but could still lose on account of a slower time.

Clustered among laser-focused participants from across the world, Xabisa secured various spots over the years; she once finished 12th, 7th, and even 6th, with that trend indicating somewhat that she was closing in on the ultimate first place.

Her biggest international win

For the 2025 edition of the bible connection at the IAD level, participants were assessed on their knowledge of the book of Luke and chapters taken from the Desire of Ages. The grand finale was held in Trinidad and Tobago on November 15. With Guyanese SDAs at home and beyond staying abreast with the event, celebrations rang through the conference when it was declared that Xabisa Hamilton, no stranger the international stage, was the winner of bible connection 2025. Stunned? Yes, she was, but then again, not so much, she expressed.

“I was surprised because I knew I answered all the questions correctly, but I wasn’t sure if I did it fast enough. I know other persons would answer all the questions correctly but then the timing would decide the placement. When I saw third place announced and that it wasn’t me, I was like alright, you have to work on timings for next year. When I saw second place (announced, and it was not me), I was like yeah, definitely got to work on timing for next year. And then when I saw (that I was) first, I was very surprised because I wasn’t really expecting it, to be very honest.”

After participating for so many years and not being in the top spot, she felt that it was expected at some point eventually. Her win came after an unyielding 7 years of persistence, backed by much local support.

Upon her return to Guyana, the deserving winner was given a uniform welcome and salute, as well as treated to a warm formal reception by youth ministry officials of the Guyana Conference.

Just a simple girl

Minus the attention, the expected fanfare, and the worthy accolades, you’ll only have a girl who just wants to go horseback riding, soil her hands by painting.

“My life is pretty simple. Nothing big and fancy or extra. I go to school, church, home and that’s basically it. And bible connection, as you know,” Xabisa shared.

It may be a bit too soon to project the outcome of CARU and IAD bible connection next year, but it is not reckless or hasty to hold, and strongly so, that one particular female is expected to once again feature, as it has been for seven years. You’ll find her at the Sophia SDA church on Sabbaths if ever you stop by.

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• Adventists, Reading, religious literature, Xabisa Hamilton

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