Whitwell Senior Makes Naval History

WHITWELL, Tenn. (WDEF) – A Whitwell High School senior is making history in Marion County.

Ava Holder has been accepted into the United States Naval Academy for the upcoming school year, becoming the first female from the county to ever earn a spot at any of the nation’s military academies.

News 12 asked Ava Holder, Naval Academy Appointee, about what this accomplishment means to her. Here is what she had to say:
“Growing up, I’ve always been in pageants, and that’s been a really big thing to me, and being in sports. Getting to be a leader and a role model for young women is really important to me because I always strive to be that, and now that I’m the first female. I can have girls look up to me, and I definitely want to be a bright light for them in our community. That was really important to me and special.”

Out of more than 11,000 applicants, only 1,200 were chosen. Holder graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was ranked in the top five of her class. With her father serving as a pilot in the Air Force, she says the military has always felt like home.