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Writer's pictureKatie Billings

Meet Holly Lockhead.

Updated: Sep 27, 2019

Holly is one of those humans that people naturally gravitate towards, and there is simply no way around this. She commands energy and attracts a room like nobodies business. Her involvements reflect these statements, as she has served as student body president of her high school, a tour guide here at Carolina, a member of the elite UNC debate society and a leader at her Presbyterian Ministry. She is a natural born leader, a passionate activist and a proud young woman of faith. It’s for all of these reasons I often find myself seeking her out first thing when I need someone to calm me down. To me, her soothing energy results from her self confidence. Her confidence takes many forms, as she is not afraid to break it down on the dance floor or rock some hot pink eye shadow, but her sense of assurance goes far beyond this. When I asked Holly what she wishes more people knew about her, she told me, “That I don’t always have it together.” If you know Holly, this might seem like a contradiction, because we all, myself included, envy her for her strong sense of place, purpose and security. Often times, we adamantly refuse to acknowledge that confidence and doubt have any correlation, because society has deemed them to be polar opposites. That being said, Holly’s confidence stems directly from her doubts and insecurities. She has accepted one of the things I believe is hardest for our generation to grasp: that it is ok to not be ok. She is confident because she can admit that she is flawed, and can love herself just the same because of it. It is through this that she appears so grounded. Her wisdom radiated throughout our entire conversation, as she told me, “Deep struggle isn’t always visible, and often times the widest smiles have the most broken hearts”. The Holly we know and love is the product of consciously seeking to accept all parts of herself, including the parts that aren’t always ok.


There is a lot to love about Holly, and for this reason, I was beyond curious to learn what she loves most about herself. Holly is proud of the fact that she radiates kindness, and that it comes from a place of intention. She actively chooses acts of kindness everyday and makes it a priority in her insanely busy schedule and social life. Another characteristic worth mentioning is her independence. To me, Holly’s relationship with independence is unique. Rarely do I ever find Holly doing activities on her own, because this girl loves good company, and has many social groups to choose from. But for Holly, her independence comes less from her actions, and more from her thoughts. She is a viciously independent thinker, and does not need or rely on anyone when it comes to establishing what she believes to be true. She is deeply rooted in her beliefs and values, and this is what makes her such an individualistic, self-sufficient woman.


As you can probably tell, Holly is passionate about the pursuit of truth. It’s evident in the way she respects others, seeks answers and pushes herself. When I asked Holly about her biggest passions, she relayed this sentiment. She seeks truth in everything, but to her, truth isn’t science, and it isn’t always quantifiable. It’s understanding people and what drives them, and being able to empathize and understand where people come from. This passion for truth is deeply rooted in many different aspects of her life, one of those being her faith. Holly told me that one of the greatest foundations of her being is the bible verse, 1 Timothy 4:12. This verse reads, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." To Holly, this is a direct command to never let somebody disrespect you for your truth. Her identity as a young, questioning, confident christian woman is who she is, and deserves to be respected. “I will never accept when others use my identities against me, yet when they do, it is my job to be persistent in showing pure kindness and love in the ways that I respond.” If this direct quote isn’t the epitome of Holly Lockhead, than I don’t know what is. She is strength and weakness all at the same time, and that is the reason for her undeniable gravitational pull.





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