Student Spotlight is a new feature in Pickerington Magazine, featuring a student from a different area high school in every issue.
A champion roars through the halls of Pickerington High School Central, firm in her positive beliefs about her life mission and in her encouraging words to others.
That champion, who once shared her optimistic affirmations with the nation in the Good Morning America “Roar with Katy Perry” contest, is 15-year-old sophomore Holly Hollopeter.
“I’m not afraid to show people who I am and hopefully inspire them to find out who they want to be,” Hollopeter says.
Hollopeter, who has been a Pickerington resident and student since kindergarten, attributes much of who she’s grown to be to Pickerington and her high school.
“Pickerington Central as a whole has motivated me to be who I probably couldn’t be if I didn’t live in this town. I would never have realized it on my own,” she says. “I know I have such a supportive community here within the walls of Central and that’s something I’m really blessed to have.”
Though she looks to God, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi for insight, Hollopeter herself stands as a beacon of inspiration. Drama Club, Symphonic Women’s Choir, Sunny Side Up (a leadership program), Student Council, the Butterfly Project and the theater department are just a few of the school-affiliated activities Hollopeter engages in outside of her studies. That’s not to mention her dedication to C3 Church, volunteerism and professional internships. And she does it all while maintaining good academic standing.
“I have a few more goals to accomplish before leaving (Central),” she says. “The cool thing is that they let me exercise the things that I’m passionate about in different ways, so I’m improving upon this base that I have with leadership, people skills and communications.”
Hollopeter is most involved in the Butterfly Project, an organization developed by three Central students that reminds high, junior high and middle school girls who they are, what they’re worth and how that correlates to larger social inequalities, such as human trafficking and abusive relationships.
She serves as head of Butterfly Project coordination – a task large enough to keep one high schooler busy as it expands to Pickerington High School North and Lakeview and Ridgeview junior high schools.
“We’ve all personally been through a lot of struggles in our life and we’ve all experienced things that we wish no one else would have to experience,” Hollopeter says. “I want to show these girls that there are people who believe in them and that they can accomplish things no matter their age, no matter who society tells them that they are – they’re valuable, lovable, capable and beautiful, and they can change the world.”
Hollopeter learned the value of hard work from her parents. Her mother, Linda, is a brewing technician at Anheuser-Busch, analyzing the science behind the beverage, and her father, Scott, is a field investigator for Walmart. She says her father’s position has afforded her the opportunity to learn how to professionally communicate with decision-makers.
Her recent internships with C3 Church and the Ritzy Rose, an antique refashioned jewelry and clothing store in Pickerington, have taught Hollopeter the skills necessary for marrying business, communications and ministry, a field she hopes to further explore.
“You don’t see a lot of high schoolers who have a close personal connection with God, but that is something that somehow I’ve been able to find, and I am thankful for that every day because it motivates me to be who I am,” she says. “I want other teenagers, children and adults to have a close relationship with God.”
As with any motivated individual, particularly those with college decisions looming ahead, Hollopeter has ideas for her future. She is leaning toward a higher education program offered online so she has the freedom to adventure to cities she feels called to while still receiving a valuable education.
“I want to make an impact for the better on the world,” she says.
Hollopeter is eager for real-world experience – a mission that particularly bursts forth through opportunities with her volunteer work through Risen Son, an outreach project led by Grace Fellowship Church. She helps bring meals and resources to those without homes on the second Saturday of every month.
“I’m just overall inspired by anybody who has a situation that they don’t desire to be in and the people that handle that with such grace and such eloquence,” Hollopeter says. “I think that’s beautiful and something I aspire to do.”
She has confidence her goals won’t simply end as dreams thanks to the support of her community.
“I know that every staff member here at Central believes in me and they want me to achieve the best that I can possibly achieve,” Hollopeter says. “School spirit runs through my veins. My blood is probably purple.”
Tessa Dufresne is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
