By Sydney Holder Riverbend News
The newest recruit to the Riverbend News, Sydney Holder is a graduate of the Class of 2021 from Branford High School looking to gain some fresh experience as a summer reporter.
Holder was the co-valedictorian of her graduating class and took rigorous dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses during her time in high school. Holder also loved being an active part of her school and community. She participated in her school's National Honor Society chapter, Senior Beta Club and Interact Club, as well as volunteered at her parents' work, the Lake City VA Medical Center.
Holder is an avid writer, having written and edited for the Branford High School's newspaper, The Buccaneer Drift, for five years and the school's yearbook, The Buccaneer, for three years. Specifically, Holder was the News Editor of the newspaper for four years, the underclassmen editor of the yearbook her sophomore year and the editor-in-chief of the yearbook her junior and senior year. Holder learned to love writing from her father, Wayne Holder III, who has always been the creative type.
Holder also has a strong passion for music, and has enrolled at Stetson University as a music education major (BME) for the upcoming fall semester. Holder plays the oboe and alto saxophone, but has begun extending her reach to other instruments, primarily piano. Following the path of her older brother and mother, Wayne Holder IV and Felicia Holder, Holder joined band in the sixth grade and moved into the high school symphonic band class in the eighth grade. There, Holder developed her love for music, performing in the Florida Bandmasters Association's Solo and Ensemble and establishing herself as a leader. Holder was the co-band-captain of the Branford High School Marching Buccaneers her junior year and the drum major her senior year.
Holder looks forward to writing for the Riverbend News. She is optimistic that her new job can boost her writing career and give her some valuable work experience going into college. Be on the lookout for her new stories covering the local areas!