Kellaray Miles Trusting God’s Plan

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“I am calling companies, reviewing the Jamaica Stock Exchange, keeping an eye on what is happening throughout the day, rushing to get the story so that I keep the community up to date. You have to be on top of things.”

I am always excited to hear stories from young journalists. It’s a field that is wide open, with many avenues and opportunities for careers in print journalism, broadcasting, and online journalism. These young people are interested in telling stories about people and the problems they are in, sometimes-complex stories that society is not ready to hear about.

While there may be a lack of Black Caribbean female journalists in some media outlets, it is important to acknowledge that there are indeed talented and accomplished individuals in this field. Representation is an ongoing issue in many industries, including journalism, and this is why it is important to amplify their voices and advocate for greater diversity and representation in the media industry.

From Yamiche Alcindor to Soledad O’Brien there are undoubtedly talented Black Caribbean female journalists who are making significant contributions to the field, and I am elated to be at the genesis of another journalistic powerhouse.

I had the opportunity to work alongside our Woman Empowered just a couple weeks ago at the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank in St. Lucia. She was brought to the island to collect and analyse information concerning newsworthy events within the world of finance and commerce. Her day typically involved digging up and deciphering key documents and data. Her ultimate responsibility is to provide accurate, actionable advice for readers in Jamaica.

Kellaray Miles was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica. The parish of St. Catherine is located on the south coast between the parishes of St. Andrew to the east, Clarendon to the west, and St. Ann and St. Mary to the north.  

“It is a rural community, very picturesque,” Kellaray shares with me. “I grew up in an extended family, and I am the only child for my mom. Even though I was an only child, I didn’t feel like it, and my mom made sure of that. I had the presence of my cousins; we shared everything and did everything together. I have to admit, I was a spoiled child; my mom gave me everything.”

Kellaray’s early childhood education began at Sligoville Basic School, and she went to complete primary school at Dunrobin Primary.

“It was in Primary school that I noticed my talents; I realized right away that I didn’t like numbers, I preferred words. I loved to write stories and I really enjoyed comprehension and composition.

Teachers were always giving me the chance to use my imagination; my mom noticed that I had a talent. She was always impressed with the marks that I received in English, and teachers had a lot to say about my writing.”

She attended Wolmer’s High School for girls (2002 – 2009), and received a CXC Associate Degree in Humanities. Kellaray then went onto University of the West Indies (2009 – 2014), where she graduated with a MSc. in Government (Public Sector Management/Comparative Politics), and a BSc. in Political Science (Major) with a Minor, with Honours in International Relations.

“I think another aspect of my upbringing that made my writing skills so strong was that I always had a lot of books. Nancy Drew was one of my favourite series. I always wanted to be in the know so I was always reading, reading, reading.

My writing was on a linear path; I was convinced that I was going to be an attorney, so I kept reading and writing. I didn’t really journal, but I enjoyed writing.”

Plans are great because they help you make decisions about what to do, or not do, in order to help achieve your goals. Like any plan, though, unexpected changes can occur that either help or hinder your life goal achievement. So was the case with Kellaray.

“Journalism wasn’t really by choice, I just ended up here. I was doing really well in school, and my marks were good enough to get me into law school. When the time came for me to accept, I had to come to a tough realization; the finances were way too much, so I decided to get more so in political science.

One of my friends in high school was working at the Jamaica Observer at that time. In Jamaica, if you don’t have connections it can be difficult to land a job, especially when you get out of school. She was working there as a proof-reader, and she was always commenting on my brightness. She asked if I was interested in coming to work there. Ummm, Yes!”

In the early 90’s Jamaica had developed the dubious reputation as a cemetery for failed newspapers. Up and coming newspapers had failed to adapt to changing reader preferences, and struggled to retain and attract new audiences. Producing and distributing a print newspaper involves significant costs, such as printing, paper, and distribution expenses. If revenues declined and operating costs remained high, newspapers would find it challenging to sustain their operations and make a profit.

It was against that intimidating, foreboding background that Butch Stewart teamed up with banker Delroy Lindsay and Trinidadian media mogul Ken Gordon in 1992 to establish the Jamaica Observer, which hit the streets on March 7^th, 1993.

For Butch, Jamaica was too sophisticated and dynamic to be a “one-newspaper society”. To him, the Observer was a gift to Jamaica. It was about producing a different type of journalism that was focused on mirroring the best of Jamaicans to themselves and to celebrate the daily heroism of the ordinary people. Their success is due to the production of high-quality and reliable journalism. This includes: accurate reporting, in-depth research, thorough fact checking, and maintaining high ethical standards. They consistently deliver trustworthy news, which has gained them credibility and has attracted a loyal readership. Now, Kellaray was about to become a part of this legacy.

“When I went in for the interview, the interviewer loved me. As a test, he gave me a financial reporter on a resort, and he asked me to write a small story. I wrote something, and he was like, ‘Good, Good!

Like that it started for me. I was told that there was a financial writer position opening up, and I seized the opportunity. It takes a certain skill set to be an effective financial journalist; skills that can be developed in journalism and/or business school, while gaining work experience, or through independent learning. I didn’t necessarily come into this position with all the skills needed, but I have worked on it, and challenging myself has made me a more proficient writer.”

Kellaray shared the lessons she has learned as a financial journalist. “You have to make numbers your friend: It’s important to get a good sense of the scale of numbers. You also have to understand the relationships between numbers: It’s vital for financial journalists to understand what growth rates are, what inflation rates are, and how financial data is measured.

I have become proficient at spotting trends versus random fluctuations: Good financial journalists can tell the difference between a legitimate pattern, and random fluctuations in financial data, and I pay attention to details: When looking at the reports of big, complex companies, I now have the ability to read the accounts in more detail to find out what’s really going. I also had to learn how to use proper terminology: as a financial journalist I have to be aware of what emotion could be attached to a particular word.

I think it was God’s plan for me not to get into law. I force myself to remember that my start does not determine my finish. If I could share a message with young women, I would say when you get an opportunity, go after it because you never really know what will happen. Even though I am a financial journalist, I have the opportunity and freedom to write what I need.

The inspiration that journalists and their work can give to others can help to change the world, and I am happy to be a part of that.”