Student Spotlight - Maddison Holder

Maddison Holder is no stranger to being far from home. A native of Alvarado, Texas, Maddison made the long journey to Athens to pursue her Master of Agricultural and Environmental Education beginning in Fall 2018.

Her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and minor in Extension Education from Texas A&M University built a solid foundation on which Maddison began her coursework and thesis research. This research reaches beyond borders as she delves into global leadership and global education.

“Specifically, my research looks at using blogs to promote cultural plurality in an agricultural leadership course, as well as how pre-departure orientations can affect a student’s cultural immersion experience,” Maddison said.

Maddison had a cultural immersion experience like none other when she traveled to Morocco to teach English for eight weeks during Summer 2019. Her time in the classroom served as the required internship for the International Agriculture Certificate offered for students within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Five days per week, she taught students from ages 6 to 21 at different English fluency levels.

“It was a definitely a challenge, and I also didn’t have access to any technology in my classroom. Occasionally I had a translator, but it was pretty much on me to learn enough Arabic that would allow me to be more effective in the classroom.”

This was the first time Maddison had traveled to a developing country and she saw cultural differences she wasn’t prepared for. It gave her an idea of what working in developing countries is like and enhanced her desired to focus on global leadership and education.

“It’s not as simple as just entering a country and saying ‘Okay, this is what we’re going to do and you guys are going to listen to us because we know best.’ It’s not like that at all actually … We all find happiness and place value in different things, and that’s what makes different cultures so unique and dynamic.”

This experience gave Maddison the desire to pursue a Ph.D. and focus on international development. While she plans to return to Texas after graduation and work in youth development before beginning a Ph.D. program, Maddison wants to nurture her passion for research. In future research, she’s interested in examining “how international projects affect quality of life and resilience when the project is over or the individuals involved with the project leave the region” before teaching or working in international development with an NGO.

Inspired by her global ventures, Maddison is weaving elements of her Moroccan experience into her everyday life. When she wasn’t teaching in Morocco, Maddison rode a camel in the Sahara and hiked Mount Toubkal, the tallest mountain in Morocco and Northern Africa. She also spent many days at the beautiful beaches that were only seven minutes from where she lived.

Now back in Athens to complete her MAEE, Maddison spends her free days on the water with her mini Australian shepherd, Fes, that she adopted upon her return to the US.

“Fes is the largest city in Morocco and where I bought my first souvenir!" Madison said of her dog's namesake city. "He loves to swim and be outside, so I enjoy taking him to trails and rivers in Georgia."

To learn more a cultural immersion experience in Morocco, read the feature on the newly approved Maymester study abroad program to nine Moroccan cities, led by Ag Leadership faculty Dr. James Anderson II.

By McKinley Blassingame and Allison Fortner


Maddison Holder in Morocco
Maddison Holder immersed herself in international culture during her 8 weeks teaching English in Morocco as part of her master's certificate program.
maddison-holder-mount-toubkal
During her weekends, Madison was able to enjoy the diverse landscape of Morocco. Here she's pictured with a group at the peak of Mount Toubkal.
Riding a camel in the Sahara Desert
Maddison traveled across the Sahara Desert on the back of a camel - a cultural experience like none other.