User:Clevelandsam

My name is Cleveland Sam. I was born in St Vincent and the Grenadines, an island in the southern Caribbean. I received my primary education at the Byrea Anglican School and then attended the St Vincent Grammar School. After graduating from the Grammar School in 1989, I taught at the Kingstown Government School(Stoney Grounds) for almost two years. But I really wanted to be Journlaist, so I worked for the The News newspaper part-time as an advertising sales representative and was also a sports (football)stringer for NBC radio 705. My break came in July 1991 when the News hired me a s a full-time Journalist. It was exciting! I was working in the job I wanted to do. My first assignment was actually in St Lucia to cover the Windward Island Secondary Schools Sports, an arrangement I had made before The News offered me the job. While at The News I also learnt layout and design from Shelly Clake, the Managing Direct and as a result I sometimes assisted in this regard on a Wednesday with the layout of the paper. My photographic skills improved significantly since as a small outfit, Journalist had to be jacks of all trade. In August 1994, I was accepted to Carimac to pursue the Diploma in Mass Communications. The News granted me study leave and with just under $US400 in my pocket I went off to Jamaica. This course not only opened my eyes, it also opened doors for my career as a communications professional. I returned to St Vincent at the end of May 1995 and went back to work at The News on June 1st.