Andrew Holder graduated from OCU in 2012 with a degree in Mass Communications: Broadcasting and Public Relations. He currently serves as the Vice President of Keller Williams Realty Elite while maintaining active roles in several volunteer-based organizations around OKC including Oklahoma City Midtown Rotary Club. He is married to his OCU sweetheart, Kirsten Holder, who serves as Director of Marketing for Hal Smith Restaurant Group.
What were you nervous about as you started at OCU?
I was nervous about leaving my hometown. I’m from Alva, OK and hadn’t spent much time in “The City” and was nervous about being in a new place. I didn’t know hardly anyone in OKC, and I didn’t really know what I was going to encounter.
What surprised you the most?
I was surprised at how friendly everyone was! Truly! I feel like that is a cliché thing to say, yet that was my experience at OCU.
The sense of community that I was used to in a small town was alive and well on campus.
What, or who, at OCU prepared you the most for life outside of college?
First and foremost, the people prepared me for life after school. Whether that be university officials, professors, campus staff, etc. Every one of them helped mold my experience and who I am today, and I am very thankful for that (special shout-out to the Mass Communications department).
Beyond that, the experiences I was blessed to have through the extracurricular activities I participated in during my 4 years helped my growth. Because of the smaller size of OCU, and the willingness of university leadership to allow as much student participation as possible, I was blessed to be able to be an active part in significant university decision making through participation in Greek Life and the Student Government Association - to name a couple.
Those opportunities, paired with the diversity that OCU has, allowed me to really understand the importance of diplomacy in decision making within any organization.
Walking into a room with others that likely have a much different opinion and background than you, and being able to walk out with a consensus and meaningful progression of a specific task at hand is a fantastic learning experience that I’m not sure I would have gotten anywhere else. I’m very thankful for that.
What does being an alumnus mean to you?
Being an alumnus means being a part of a culture-rich, education-filled, high-achieving group of individuals that have come before and will come after me. I’m extremely thankful for the university, and the people that make it what it is.
OCU is a family, and I’m proud to be a part of it!
