Kristy D. Carter is a writer with The Sampson Independent in Clinton, N.C. Carter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a concentration in Journalism from East Carolina University in 2000, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and minored in English. In 2015, she earned a North Carolina Press Association Award for News Beat Reporting. At just 15-years-old, Carter began working as an intern for The Sampson Independent and continued working through high school and college before becoming the News Editor after graduation. In 2005, she took a break from writing, but returned to what she loves in 2014 when she started writing again. With almost 15 years of writing experience, Carter enjoys covering and reporting about educational topics and how they affect the local school system.