I was never normal. I didn't finish high school, no prom, no Jr.-Sr weekend, and yes-- no high school diploma. Instead, I did this:

In reminiscing those days of my youth, when I began college after my junior year of high school at the young age of 17. I thought I was so grown. Truth was though- In that day, little did I know.
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1972: The Scholar Trek program, specifically offered by Mars Hill College (now University) in the early-to-mid 1970s, was an early entry or accelerated academic program designed for high-achieving high school students.

NC DNCR (.gov)

Based on typical early college initiatives of that era and the context of Mars Hill’s development during the 1970s, the program had the following characteristics:

Purpose: Allowed students to enter college after their junior year of high school or to enroll in college courses while completing their senior year, enabling them to begin their undergraduate careers early.

Target Audience: Focused on students looking for an "emphasis on excellence," a phrase central to the administration of President Fred Bentley, who led the college starting in 1966.

Context: This was part of a larger, nation-wide movement in the 1970s to increase college accessibility and accelerate academic progress for motivated students.

Academic Focus: As a liberal arts institution, the program emphasized foundational humanities, arts, and sciences to prepare students for a bachelor's degree.

Mars Hill University

[**note to myself- I have some published poetry in a Mars Hill Journal of poetry.....need to see if I can locate it.]

How to find more information:
If you are looking for specific names, flyers, or rosters from the Scholar Trek program, I recommend contacting the Southern Appalachian Archives at Mars Hill University. They house the alumni files and historical records of the college and are managed through the Ramsey Center.

Mars Hill University
The Memories Collection interviews often contain personal narratives from alumni of that era, including those who attended during the 1970s.

www.thememoriescollection.org
If you have any specific names, years, or names of directors of the program, I can try to narrow down the search further.
Mars Hill College Catalog 2006–08
The old symbolically represents the rich 150-year heritage of Mars Hill College and its tradition of serving thousands of young pe...

Mars Hill University
Mars Hill College Catalog 2011–12
During most of its early history the college was operated as an academy or boarding high school, but it did offer some college-lev...

https://www.marshilllions.com/athletics/locale

Mars Hill University