From Staff Reports

Brandon Gresham has joined the staff of the Shelby County Reporter as a staff writer.

Gresham, 21, is a recent graduate of Samford University.

&uot;I am grateful to be part of the Shelby County Reporter editorial staff as it grows with the local community,&uot; Gresham said. &uot;The Reporter is full of talented people that I will be able to learn a lot from as I continue my career in journalism.&uot;

Born in 1983 in Dallas, Texas, to Raleigh and Mary Gresham, his family moved to Mexico City, Mexico, in 1986. His father, a pastor, had taken a job as pastor of an English-speaking church there.

In 1995, the Greshams which included Brandon’s two brothers, Raleigh and Isaac, and sister, Beth, moved to Oxford, England, so his father could continue work on his doctorate at Oxford University.

They returned to Mexico City a year later but moved on to Glide, Ore., in 1997, where Gresham attended Glide High School.

Following in the footsteps of his older brother and sister, he chose Samford University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication. He also minored in written communication.

While at Samford, he worked as news and sports editor for the Samford University Crimson Newspaper, sports editor for the school’s yearbook and conducted internships at al.com and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Gresham will marry Stacey Atkinson on July 16 alongside Lake Martin just outside Alex City.

&uot;I met Stacey during my freshman year at Samford and proposed to her on my 21st birthday,&uot; he said.

Following their wedding, they will reside in Homewood.

Gresham’s parents now live in Colorado Springs, Colo., where his father pastors Fellowship Bible Church.

His brother, Raleigh, works as a child life therapist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, and his sister, Beth, is a schoolteacher in Apopka, Fla. Youngest brother Isaac will complete his final year in junior high school this year.

Reporter publisher Tim Prince said he expects positive contributions from Gresham.

&uot;Brandon has a very broad life experience, has a natural interest in telling complete and compelling stories and is just a pleasure to be around. We feel lucky to have the opportunity to work along side someone of Brandon’s caliber and look forward to what he will accomplish here.&uot;

Gresham will cover Pelham, Helena, Calera, Chelsea and Wilsonville among other general assignments