DOCKSIDE

Holland’s Opus – CV, West Point grad thrives as Rhodes Scholar

By Craig Howard Splash Contributing Editor

Holland Pratt was in second grade at Liberty Lake Elementary when she competed in a kids’ version of a triathlon that wound up with a run leading to Pavillion Park.

The hill approaching the park proved to be a grueling test for many of the competitors with strides slowing down as the slope increased.

For Pratt, the final stretch represented a crossroads.

“I was determined to not quit,” she said. “Running up that hill was a turning point for me. It was about grit and fitness. I’ve never left it since.”

Over a decade after completing the race, Pratt found herself as a freshman cadet in basic training at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Three days of land navigation in a constant downpour left many feeling drenched in discouragement.

Then Pratt heard the words of a wise sergeant.

“He said, ‘Moping doesn’t help,’” Pratt recalls. “Then he asked, ‘What will you do to pick up others around you?’”

The line resonated with Pratt who hearkened back to her senior year at Central Valley High School and a dreary morning where she and other members of the Leadership Class were assigned as door greeters.

“I was having a bad morning and didn’t really want to be there,” Pratt said. “Then (Leadership Advisor) Mrs. (Leanne) Donley said, ‘Your smile may be the only smile some of these students see all day.’ It was a great reminder to have a sense of purpose and why.”

Pratt has carried that sense of purpose across the Atlantic Ocean to her latest stop – as a Rhodes Scholar studying at Oxford University in England. In 2022, she was one of 32 college students selected to receive the international post-graduate award first established in 1902 and considered the most prestigious scholarship of its kind.

Prior to leaving for Great Britain last September, Pratt served a summer internship in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Institute of Peace. At Oxford, she is studying Global Governments and Diplomacy and enjoying an itinerary that has already included a trip to Iceland with future visits scheduled for Morocco and Scotland. Pratt’s world travels are made easier by her fluency in Spanish and Arabic.

“I’m learning about implementing theory into practice and asking questions like, ‘How are we communicating on a global scale?’” Pratt said.

Pratt will fulfill a five-year commitment to the military following two years at Oxford. She plans to pursue a career as a Civil Affairs Officer, serving as a liaison between the military and the civilian world.

Pratt graduated from West Point last May. One of many highlights in her four years there included being named First Captain of the Corps of Cadets before her senior year, a unique honor achieved by only seven women in the 200-year history of the academy. The ratio of male to female students at West Point is 80 to 20.

At Central Valley, Pratt competed in cross country, track and soccer. She was initially focused on playing college soccer but that changed when she was left off the varsity squad as a junior. Instead of grumbling about the demotion, Pratt turned it into a positive.

“My confidence was injured,” Pratt recalls. “I went on a run right after I found out and realized I could either have a bad attitude or help my younger teammates. That was a pivotal experience for me. Our JV went undefeated and it turned into one of the best team experiences I’ve ever had.”

Pratt is the daughter of Gavin and Sarah Pratt who moved to Liberty Lake from Tonasket, Washington with their family when Holland was 5. She has a younger sister, Savannah.

An avid student of history, Pratt points to a story from World War II involving her great-grandparents that had a significant influence on her decision to pursue a career in the military. After her great-grandfather was sent to a concentration camp, her great-grandmother went into hiding. At one point, word spread that the Russian Army was converging on Hanau, the city in Germany where she and others had found refuge.

“Everyone was scared that the Russians were on their way,” Pratt said. “Instead, the Americans arrived. They brought food and clothing. My great-grandmother had her first cheeseburger.”

The example of goodwill and compassion in the storms of conflict has remained with Pratt like the lesson of climbing the hill toward Pavilion Park, greeting fellow students at CV with a smile and encouraging her fellow cadets in a rainstorm.

“No leader knows what they’re doing 100 percent of the time,” Pratt said. “You need to have confidence in being OK with moments of doubt. The main thing is working with what you have.”

Q: When do you first remember