Cleveland Gipson
Class of 1992
Cleveland Gipson was born in Port Arthur, Texas, the third of four children to Fannie and Cleveland
Gipson, Sr. Upon graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School, he began academic and athletic
persuits at Tuskegee University in the fall of 1987 after earning a four year athletic scholarship.
Gipson was a defensive lineman who later switched to inside linebacker early during his freshman
year. As an inside linebacker, he earned SIAC All Conference First team honors three years (1989-
1991). In addition, he was selected as his team's defensive captain for three consecutive years
(1989-1991). Gipson was selected SIAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Preseason
Division II All American in 1991. He was twice voted by his team's coaching staff as Defensive MVP, earned the Coca-Cola Award in 1991 (highest GPS on the team), and in 1990 was selected by Black Entertainment Television (BET) as Defensive MVP of the 1991 Turkey Bowl.
Gipson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a minor in Education in 1992. He
later earned a Master of Education degree from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. He is
currently pursuing a second Master's degree in Educational Leadership from Cambridge College.
Over the Past fifteen years, he has excelled as a professional educator. After graduating from
Tuskegee University in 1992, he began working as an elementary school teacher in Washington DC
public schools. He first taught third grade at Stanton Elementary where he twice earned "Teacher
of the Year" honors and served as coach of the school's chess team. Eventually, he led the chess
team to its first ever city chess title, subsequently winning a total of three. After working in the DC
Public School system for six years, Gipson decided to take on the challenge of teaching abroad. His
international teaching experience began at Westhill Elementary in Mexico City, Mexico. At Westhill,
he taught sixth grade for five years. He later was named the principal of the school and served in
that post for three years. Mr. Gipson has worked as an Educational Consultant for McGraw Hill
and teacher trainer for Glencoe. Currently, he works at the American School Foundation in Mexico
City, Mexico where he is a U.S. Government and World History teacher.
Gipson enjoys being an active member of his community as can be seen through his work with the
Special Olympics in Mexico, his volunteer efforts at Casa Hogar, and through his relentless efforts
as a volunteer translator (English/Spanish) for the~Mexican Legal Society. Gipson is also a member
of the National Teachers Association; The Washington DC Teachers Union; and Kappa Alpha Psi
Fraternity, Inc. (Gamma Epsilon Chapter).
