Early Life
Clayton was born and raised in the neighborhood of East Price Hill in the early 90s. Clayton attended Holy Family grade school and Elder High School. Clayton’s first experience with writing came in high school when he was the Opinion Section Editor for Elder’s Purple Quill student newspaper.
Early Adulthood
Clayton attended the University of Cincinnati from 2008-2012 and obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis on Social Studies. Clayton began his teaching career as a substitute teacher and eventually gained full-time employment at Hillcrest Academy, a treatment facility for adjudicated youth in Hamilton County. Clayton taught Social Studies to youth ages 13-18 and was exposed to the youth criminal justice system.
Present Day
Clayton eventually obtained his Master’s Degree in Special Education from Miami University. Clayton currently teaches students with autism spectrum disorder and has worked at Cincinnati Public Schools since 2014. Clayton is active within the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers and serves on their Executive Council.
Political Involvement
Clayton began volunteering for political campaigns in 2007 at the age of 17 years old. In 2018, Clayton ran for State Representative in Ohio’s 30th District. Clayton ran an impressive campaign, despite the district being heavily gerrymandered to favor Republicans. Clayton served on the Central Committee of the Hamilton County Democratic Party from 2018-2024. He is the Community Outreach chairperson for the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers.