Leinz Vales is a live news editor for CNN Digital.

Prior to CNN, Vales taught public speaking in Mercer County Community College, New Jersey. He also had the opportunity to work for various news agencies, such as New Jersey Network, New York 1 and News 12, as a freelancer. His career in journalism had its humble beginnings in the education field, assisting at-risk high school students and success coaching college students.

Vales’s passion for being an agent of change has led him across the globe in Beijing, China and Moscow, Russia where he participated in youth empowerment summits. While in Croatia and Bosnia, he also facilitated workshops on important global issues like sustainable development, power of citizenry and democracy. As a first-generation Haitian-American, he went back to Haiti in the midst of the January 2010 earthquake as a volunteer, helping orphans and affected communities.

Vales received his Bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University in New Jersey and a master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.