Alumni
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Kelly Hunt Holler
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Since her time as a young Sumner County 4-H Member, Kelly has been passionate about serving in her community. In high school, her work was often with 4-H, Student Council, and other extracurricular clubs. As she transitioned into college, her work seemed to develop a focus around education and teaching others. The many opportunities at Vanderbilt have allowed her to pursue her passions. Most of her service is done with organizations about agriculture education and special education.
Tennessee 4-H is one of the most influential organizations with which Kelly works. They are a worldwide youth development organization that focuses on agriculture, STEM subjects, and consumer sciences. Since she was avidly involved in 4-H throughout middle and high school, she credits her honor of being an Ingram Scholar to her work in 4-H. Kelly volunteers at the Central Region Office, at various state events, and county-level events. She also serves as a youth member on the Tennessee 4-H Foundation Board. Her volunteering experiences include serving as a volunteer judge, event set-up and preparation, and a variety of other tasks.
Kelly’s involvement in 4-H led her to complete her Ingram Summer Project with the TN Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. This organization provides free lesson plans, activities, and supplies to teachers who hope to utilize modern, accurate, agriculture-based information in their lesson plans for science, english, history, and math. Kelly utilized her 8-weeks to modify the lesson plans for students who have varying levels of disabilities. This allowed for their activities to be more inclusive for a diverse set of classrooms. Additionally, she presented her finished curricula at the teacher in-service trainings and the national conference. The teacher in-services were conducted during the first two weeks of June throughout the state to over 200 teachers. The National Agriculture In the Conference was held in Kansas City, MO. Kelly led a workshop with over 40 employees, farmers, college professors, and teachers. Finally, the curricula was published on the Tennessee Farm Bureau website for any teacher to utilize at any time.
Another one of Kelly’s most exciting volunteering experiences include her experiences at Mama Lere Hearing School in the Bill Wilkerson Center at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Here, Kelly volunteers with Deaf and Hard of Hearing preschoolers. They teach speech and language skills, how to use Cochlear Implants/ hearing aids, and many other life skills. Our hope is that students will be able to minimize deficits so students may transition into Kindergarten smoothly.
As Booker T. Washington once stated, “I began learning long ago that those who are the happiest are those who do the most for others.” She has explored service through many outlets and has experienced the true meaning of this quote. Kelly is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Ingram Scholars Program at Vanderbilt, where her passion for medicine and Special Education will lead her to research improvements for the lifestyles of those with disabilities, mental or physical. Her gratitude and excitement continue to grow as she experiences all the life-changing benefits of this incredible program. She plans to continue her service into her senior year, setting a foundation for a career and life dedicated to service.