Ernest Porter(I)

Ernest Porter grew up on Cleveland's east side and matriculated at Columbia University where he double-majored in Pre-medical Studies and Philosophy. Forced, due to financial difficulties, to say adieu to Columbia College, he returned to Cleveland, Ohio without a degree. Determined, still, to find his place in the world, he earned an Associate of Arts degree and an Associate of Science degree from Cuyahoga Community College where he tutored college students in physics and inorganic chemistry. He was awarded The National Dean's List Award, and as such, designated a National Dean's List Scholar, by then acting Dean of Students, Dr. Larry Brisker, The award placed him in the top 1/2 % of all college students in The United States. Ernie worked variously as a laboratory technician and for several years acted as chemist for a Water Treatment Company in Cleveland. It would be much later on in life, after he discovered Mr. Langston Hughes, which he learned to appreciate his natural gift for writing. During this period, Ernie volunteered his services to help the sick at local emergency rooms in the Cleveland area, where he saw life on the fringes and met 'Mr. Death', up close. He learned the value of life and began taking himself much more seriously as a writer. During this period of personal growth, he also worked as a volunteer reading tutor for Project: Learn, helping adult African American males, unable to read, become literate. Believing as he still does, that the ultimate measure of an individual's accomplishments during his or her life-time, is not what he was able to do to advance himself, but what he was willing to do to enhance the lives and well-being of other fellow human beings, less fortunate than him. The rest is history. Ernie won Nandar Entertainment, Inc.'s "Star Child: The Beginning" Short Screenplay Competition and later on penned the "Star Child: The Chosen One Webisode Series.