Earlier this year, I was hand-picked to fill a vacated board seat for the Rochester Association of Black Journalists. When the previous board members left Rochester, I became the vice president for social media. Taking over the VP of social media means I'm in charge of the digital aspects of RABJ until 2017. While in this position, I'm hoping to make a few changes that will elevate the chapter and make potential members more enticed to join our organization. More specifically, I have five goals I hope to accomplish as the social media VP. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle...

Undoubtedly, the most important teacher in my grade-school years was an African-American woman named Keisa Sterling. She was my 12th grade English teacher. She was energetic, gorgeous, intelligent and, most importantly, passionate about the written word. In her class, I read Othello, Romeo & Juliet and Frankenstein. From those lessons, I learned to draw meaning from stories - no matter what form they took. That skill helped me later in life for reasons I'll explain below.

The New York State Associated Press Association released the winners of its 2015 journalism contest.  Oddly enough, I won third place in the business writing category. The announcement shocked me more than sticking your tongue in an electrical socket. Still, I'm humbled and grateful to have been honored. In fact, my employer the (Rochester) Democrat and Chronicle won a ton of awards in the contest, including Newspaper of Distinction. This is a noteworthy prize because my employer is in the same competing category as powerhouse New York newsrooms like the New York Daily News and Newsday.