 "Photo: Kalynn Baker for The Hilltop")
 "Photo: Kalynn Baker for The Hilltop")
 "Photo: Kalynn Baker for The Hilltop")
 "Photo: Joshua DeBerry for The Hilltop")
 "Photo: Kalynn Baker for The Hilltop")
The Hilltop staff changes over each semester with the influx of student into new courses at Mars Hill College. This semester, five freshman form our core staff, along with several returning freelancers and production designers all under the direction of student editor Rachel Connor.
Wes Starnes, Becca Johnson, Josh DeBerry, Kerry Lund and Kalynn Baker make up the staff this spring, along with freelancers Karmeece Watson, Colie Brown, Mary Elise Jones, Bria Smith, Yonatan Arnold, Jessica Young, Samantha Waldroup, Joshua Doby, Yi Lu, KC Tuchol and Megan Trasport.
Our newspaper publication dates are Friday, March 5, and Friday, April 23.
Staff Bios
Wes Starnes was born in Seminole, Fla., then lived in Clearwater, Fla., for 12 years and went to Belcher Elementary and Oak Grove Middle School. His family moved to Dade City which is 20 miles north of Tampa. The Starnes have a small farm with12 beef cows, two show pigs and two dogs. Starnes graduated from Pasco High School and was involved in the swimming team, 4-H and raising steers. He was captain of the swim team for two of his three high school years and now swims for the MHC team.
Becca Johnson of Avery County, NC, is a freshman but took a year off between graduation. She is the youngest of the three children in her family and grew up in a Christian home. Since she was very young she has been reading books and writing. In her early teens, she began writing poetry and now has a collection of 150 poems. By 14, she decided she wanted to become a writer and have her works published for a living. At 16, she added another dream to her life -- to work with youth. She was able to work with youth even before leaving home for college, assisting the youth minister at her church. The decision to go to Mars Hill College was easy because of the beautiful location, the wonderful staff and all the help needed during the application process. Both of her parents also attended Mars Hill.
Joshua DeBerry is the only son of Lacy and Sonya DeBerry and has one older sister.
As a child, he was very energetic and lovable. His father would describe his personality as “full of life and fun to be around." He and his sister Courtney shared many youthful adventures as they grew up in Winston-Salem. DeBerry rose to the top of his class every year by making flawless grades on the EOG (end of grade test). In the spring of his freshmen year in high school, he went out for the track team. Unfortunately, he was overweight and not very athletic. But thanks to the support of his sister and a group of upper classmen, he stuck with the sport. In his last two years of high school, he made all conference, all- state and captain of R.J. Reynolds High School track team. He is a freshman at Mars Hill College and is a MHC runner, too.
Kalynn Baker, a native of Florida, is the daughter of Polish and Cuban parents. She attended Swain High School until the last three months of her senior year, and then she finished at Tuscola. She took a year off before coming to Mars Hill, working as a waitress, dishwasher, line cook and sous chef in Waynesville. Mars Hill offered her the best deal upon acceptance, beating out Warren Wilson, Gardner-Webb and Brevard College, so she landed here last fall. She is studying microbiology and hopes to work in the field after graduation.
Kerry Lund is a native of Hollywood, Fla. She is the middle of three siblings, having an older sister, Jessica and a younger brother, Robert. Growing up in Florida throughout most of her childhood, she and her family made a "drastic" move in December 2005, relocating to North Carolina to take care of her grandmother. Lund attended Hayesville Middle School and Hayesville High School. She was an honor student throughout high school and graduated in 2009. She was awarded three scholarships and made the decision to attend Mars Hill College last fall. She is a biology major with a concentration in pre-professional studies for pre-med. She is also a double-major in social work. Kerry works part-time at Fuddruckers in Asheville and also holds a work-study job. She has a lot on her plate but is determined to settle for nothing less.
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