Background
Virgin is a great-granddaughter of escaped slave Thomas John (Howard) Holland, and great-niece of pastor John Christie Holland. After growing up in Toronto, Ontario, she attended Toronto Teacher's College. Virgin was also certified as a Special Education teacher at Brock University focussing on intellectually gifted children and holds special qualifications in teaching Integrated Arts. Virgin began her career as a teacher, working for the Toronto Board of Education. She later moved into children's programming with Ontario's public broadcaster TV Ontario, playing "Jodie" on Today's Special. This internationally acclaimed series was in production for seven years. Virgin also had recurring roles on other television programs, including The Littlest Hobo, Night Heat and Ramona. She appeared in numerous film roles such as Gotti, The Undergrads, Murder in Space, and Right of the People.
Virgin worked as the weather and community reporter for CBOT, the local CBC Television station in Ottawa, in the late 1980s. She then worked at CTV station CFTO in Toronto as the host of Eye on Toronto, co-host for the entertainment show Showbuz, and a host on CTV's annual Miracle Network Telethon for the Hospital for Sick Children.
In 1996, Virgin became the host for the daily national current affairs show Coast to Coast for CBC Newsworld in Calgary, Alberta. She returned to Toronto as the anchor to launch the national weekend newscast Saturday Report for CBC Television. She then moved to the anchor chair at Newsworld International until it was dismantled and taken over by Al Gore's Current TV in July 2005. Virgin then chose to leave CBC to complete further studies, gaining certification in teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) and taught students in Linhe, Inner Mongolia, China. She later taught French in Stoney Creek.
She currently serves on the board of directors for Phoenix Place, a second stage home for women and children who have survived domestic violence. She is also a member of the council for the College of Early Childhood Educators, the first such college in North America. Virgin serves as a member of Hamilton's Committee Against Racism for the 2010-2014 Term of Council.
Read more about this topic: Nerene Virgin
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