Recipient of 2021 Bradley-Turner Leadership Scholarship announced

Laura Kate Holden, a first-year student from Columbus, has been named the 2021 Bradley-Turner Leadership Scholar at the University of Georgia. The scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding students who exhibit superior leadership capabilities while in high school and who aspire to be student leaders at UGA.

Holden graduated from Columbus High School in May 2021 in the upper 10 percent of her class. During her high school years, she demonstrated an extensive record of leadership, founding the Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science (G.E.M.S.) club. She also served as president of the Student Council and captain of the varsity cross country and varsity track and field teams.

To address the cause of youth literacy, Holden began a program of book collection and distribution to students at a Muscogee County elementary school with a large population of lower income students. After realizing that many of the students were struggling with reading comprehension, she began visiting the school and reading with them weekly.

Following the death of a beloved teacher, Holden organized a walk in his honor – Campbell’s Kids for a Cure, Relay for Life – that raised $17,000 for the American Cancer Society. She intends to apply the skills she gained from that experience at UGA.

“Using the lessons learned from leading an event for hundreds of people and from the ultimate servant leader, Mr. Campbell, I will become an engaged member striving to make a positive difference in the University of Georgia community,” she said.

Holden will conduct research with the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) to design mechanisms and tools to benefit partial or full amputees. She plans to attend medical school after earning her bachelor’s degree in genetics with the intention of becoming a physician in the United States Air Force.

The Bradley-Turner Leadership Scholars Program provides a $10,000 annual award with an additional $1,000 annual enhancement for leadership development activities for a total of four years of full-time undergraduate study. The scholarship is administered through the Engagement, Leadership, and Service department within UGA Student Affairs.

Contact: Lori Crawford, 706-542-6396, lori.crawford@uga.edu