Candidates
Meet Sammie Poitier - DNA Candidate for change in South Beach
Biography
The second of four close-knit siblings, Sammie O. Poitier, aka “Sammie Starr,” was born in Nassau, New Providence on July 31, 1979 to the Reverend Oswald Poitier and Minister Sebrena Poitier. Both of his parents are natives of Central and North Andros, respectively.
Sammie’s began his early education at the Dandy Lion Preschool and Oakes Field Primary, before his family relocated to North Andros in the mid 1980s. A high achiever, he continued his education at the Nicholl’s Town Primary, where he was not only Deputy Head Boy, but also the school’s highest scorer on the GLAT exams. While a high school student attending North Andros High, Sammie served as the school’s Head Boy, and was very active in extra-curricular activities.
He was elected Student Government President, served as Captain of both the soccer and track teams, and was a member of Junior Achievement. His extra-curricular activities also extended into the community, as Sammy played drums, keyboard, and was the Assistant Youth Director at the Mount Freedom Baptist church, founded by his Grand Mother, Prudence Rolle, the mother of the former, four (4) term Member of Parliament for North Andros, the Honorable Darrel Rolle.
In the midst of all his educational and extramural pursuits, Sammy was able to maintain a GPA of 3.90 and, leaving high school, was recognized for having the best B.G.C.S.E. performance among Family Island students; as a result, he was awarded a scholarship to attend the College of the Bahamas.
As a higher education student, Sammie continued to be diligent in his studies and his participation in extra-curricular activities. While at COB, he was a dual Law and Criminal Justice major, graduating with an Associate Degree in both subject areas. He was also an active member of the Student Christian Movement. After completing his degree at COB, Sammy attended Pfieffer University in Albermale, North Carolina, majoring in Business and Finance. He was also Resident Director and served on the college’s Student Government. He graduated from Pfieffer in the fall of 2004, with honors. Sammy returned to the Bahamas in 2006 and has worded in the Banking, Insurance and Marketing Industries.
Following his early passion for music, Sammie ventured out into the entertainment industry and soon found himself a leading Bahamian Music Artist. Using his popularity as “Sammie Star” to positively impact the lives of young Bahamians, he became a voice for and to the youth and continues to encourage youths to strive for and attain excellence.
Always a strong advocate of youth advancement and development, Sammie has partnered with many an extensive number of charity and outreach organizations, including The Ranfurly Home for Children, Simpson Penn School for Boys, Girls Industrial School, AIDS Foundation “Know Your Status” Campaign, The S.T.R.A.W. Inc. for young women, Zion Baptist Church You, BFM Total Youth Church and Junior Achievement. Sammie also partnered with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to inspire and motivate students through speaking engagements at many schools - including C.V. Bethel, C.R. Walker, Doris Johnson, L.W. Young, D.W. Davis and C.I. Gibson – and was one of the major speakers in the Tempo/BTC Badness Outta Style School Tour.
Because of his strong influence he has worked with all political parties.
A proud father, Sammie has one daughter. He loves spending time with his family, cooking from old cookbooks, going to the gym, socializing with his friends and watching good movies. He and his family are now members of St. Matthews Parish on Shirley Street.
