AUBURN, Ala. – After graduating from Alabama State University, where she played basketball and was an academic All-American, Monique Holland went to Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics as the assistant director of logistics for the gymnastics and basketball venues.
When the games ended, so did the gig.
While looking for other opportunities following the Olympics, Holland stopped by Georgia Tech, offering to volunteer with the women's basketball program.
The Yellow Jackets were preparing for a trip to Europe, but head coach Agnus Berenato invited Monique to come to practice before the team left.
Holland sent a note of appreciation, thanking Berenato for the opportunity.
"Unbeknownst to me, thank you notes and volunteering were huge to her, so she subsequently offered me a position," said Holland, who earned her master's degree in sport administration. "That's how I got into athletics, as an assistant basketball coach, just by saying thank you and offering to volunteer.
"That's how my sisters and I were raised. My mother, a single parent, expected us to always show gratitude and respect for adults, especially those who were generous. It is a characteristic that I am grateful that I learned at very young age."
After five years of coaching, Holland transitioned into administration, first at Georgia Tech in compliance, then at Clayton State, the NCAA, Georgia State, Alabama State and Southern Methodist University before arriving on the Plains.
Holland chose compliance because it combined her love for education and sports.
"As a young girl, I always wanted to be an educator because I had so many influential teachers throughout my life who poured into me," she said.
"So, the opportunity to give back and impact the lives of other young people and provide education within the realm of sports was a blessing."
Last August, Director of Athletics Allen Greene hired Holland to be Auburn's senior associate athletics director for student-athlete experience and senior woman administrator.
"This is exactly what I prayed for," Holland said. "I was fortunate to work with great leadership at my previous institution and it was important that my next position also be with an athletics director where I believe our values and commitment to the student-athlete experience are in alignment.
"Additionally, I wanted to come back to this region. I have very fond memories of living in Atlanta and Montgomery. At this time in my career, however, it is more about who I work with, as opposed to just where."
Growing up in St. Joseph, Missouri, Holland never dreamed of being a senior woman administrator in college athletics, in part because she saw no minority women in leadership positions prior to her arrival at Georgia Tech where she met her mentor, Mary McElroy, an African-American woman.
"I owe Mary McElroy a lot for believing in me and giving me my first opportunity in athletics administration. However, we still have room to grow in our industry to be more representative of the different populations that we serve," Holland said. "I am thankful for the many opportunities I have been given and I have a responsibility to be an advocate for other minorities and women who desire to work in our field."
This summer, Holland will return to her hometown to speak at the YWCA Women of Excellence banquet. Just like with that fateful note of gratitude that led to her first job at Georgia Tech, it will be a chance to say thank you.
"So many people in St. Joseph poured into me," she said. "I was truly a part of a village that raised a child."
Holland recalls events in which teachers stepped in during defining moments in her life. "What I appreciate most is they never made me feel like a charity case," she said. "Subtly, they always suggested a way I could pay them back. At that time, I didn't realize they were sparing me my dignity."
One high school teacher paid for Holland to take the ACT and in return, Monique babysat her children. Another offered to pay for a dress Holland designed when Monique was voted homecoming queen in exchange for her attending a Young Life meeting.
"I will never forget those and many other blessing bestowed upon me by my teachers," Holland said. "My family and my community were so rich in love that I never felt underprivileged.
"I am motivated by knowing that I represent more than myself. In everything I do, I represent my family, my community, my teachers, coaches, and mentors, and the student-athletes and the staff that I serve. This is a responsibility I carry with honor."
What Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy means to me:
"When I think of what Dr. King's legacy means to me, I think about the way my mother felt when we learned the birthdate of Martin Luther King, Jr. would be recognized as a national holiday. It was at that time that I saw something different in my mother's eyes. I saw hope."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
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