352. Propelled by a Vision

“In middle school, around 13 or 14, I applied for—and got into—a special High School in Miami, the William H. Turner Technical Arts High School.  Two of six classes that I took every year were in television production. That continued to spark my interest in being creative and using the camera, telling little video stories, and editing.  I applied to the film school at Florida State University.  I didn’t make it into the film school, but I was accepted into the College of Communication.” From there, Clem says it was a case of being in the right place at the right time and being persistent. “FSU had won the national championship in football, so there was a lot of money for the broadcast and promotion of athletics. Watching and shooting players run, move and cut, I was involved in all that action and excitement. I learned how to take my understanding of TV production and bring it into sports. From there, I got an internship with the Orlando Magic professional basketball team in 2002.”

Even though Clem didn’t get accepted into the film school at FSU, he did not give up. “I made my presence known. I would often go into the Communications office to see how my application was going. I pursued what I wanted to achieve and worked hard. I played chess with my life to put myself in the right places, but I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing. I was just trying to achieve what I wanted. Overall, I’ve got to say it was a blessing from God that allowed me to be in the right place at the right time.”

“One thing I learned while I was in college, being active in my fraternity: we worked. We believed it was our responsibility to do right by our community. I was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, we used to chant this rhyme together: ‘We party hard, we stay up late, but most of all we graduate!  We are scholars making dollars.’  After every party or community event, I’d still go and work.  I kept up my grades and just learned how to multitask, how to do it all.”

1.   Take whatever time is necessary to understand your purpose, get in touch with yourself, your soul, your Creator, and get clear on what you believe in.

2.   Visualize your goal and know that struggles and tribulations are part of the pathway to their attainment. They make the victory sweeter.

3.   Be willing to do the work.

4.   When you know what you are meant to do, fight to make it through. Don’t be discouraged or distracted.