Meet Tony Holmes, a former student of Tice Elementary, Purple Sage Elementary, a member of the first class at Cobb Sixth Grade Campus, Cunningham Middle School, North Shore High School, and a 2007 graduate of North Shore Senior High School. While in high school, Tony accomplished many things and was involved in numerous organizations, all of which made him an outstanding student and scholar. He was a member of the National Honor Society, AVID (College-Bound Organization), and the Surf Club (Community Service Organization), and held leadership positions in several on-campus organizations. During Tony’s sophomore year at NSSHS, he was a member of the Gents’ organization and step team. In his junior year, he became a step master for the Gents’ step team and led the organization to its second consecutive Stagebreaker (Citywide Championship). During his senior year, he became president of the Gents organization and step master. While a Gent, he was required to earn community service hours, and that’s where his focus on community service began. He was involved with AIDS Walk Houston, March of Dimes, and other school-related volunteer projects.

Tony decided to continue his higher education at Stephen F. Austin State University. He chose SFA because it was not too far from home but far enough to experience life on his own. He also had family who lived in East Texas, and SFA’s school spirit was an added bonus. Tony explained that school spirit creates a positive learning environment for both students and teachers, and that this is one of the many things that make going to school so exciting. School spirit helps to develop and foster relationships among people. He selected Interpersonal Communication as his major because he enjoys communicating and interacting with people and wanted to learn effective communication skills. He knew those skills would help him in any career path he chose. He took a course in sociology, really liked it, developed a passion for society, culture, and social problems, and decided to double major. Tony was also involved in numerous organizations at college, such as Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, where he served as president, and the National Panhellenic-Hellenic Council. He received the President’s Award for community service and was an SFASU Orientation Leader. A moment that makes him proudest is when he created SFASU’s first United Way organization in 2012 to help improve social conditions through health, education, and income. He traveled to Washington, D.C., to train for a week at United Way’s headquarters. He was not only the organization's founder and president but also served on the Nacogdoches Board of Directors for United Way. In recognition of his work in creating the organization, he was awarded the Chairman's Award by the Nacogdoches County United Way.

In 2012, Tony earned his degree in Communications and Sociology and soon began working as a case manager, assisting low-income families with social services at Head Start in Nacogdoches. A year later, he decided to pursue a master’s degree to further his career in public service and enrolled at SFA to study Public Administration, where he will graduate in August 2015. He currently works at the Houston Food Bank as the Conference Services Manager. Prior to that, he was the corporate volunteer coordinator and case manager. The Houston Food Bank has been a great place for him to work for several reasons: it is close to home and the area where he was raised. Tony loves helping people in need of food assistance for their families, and he has grown attached to the organization’s mission to end hunger in Southeast Texas. 

In his free time, he works out, runs marathons, and gets involved with community organizations. He is a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization and the National Forum of Black Public Administrators. He also founded Young Millennials of Texas, an organization for young professionals and individuals aimed at sparking change in Texas communities. His purpose in forming this organization was to give back to the community in which he lives and grew up. 

Tony hopes to pursue a doctoral degree and encourages students to always follow their passion and work hard, no matter the cost, sacrifice, or uncertainty. He stated, “There is no shortcut to success, but the first step to achieving your goals is giving back to other people. We can’t solve every problem in the world, but we can all help someone else by living a selfless life each and every day.” 

GPISD is so proud of Tony and all that he has accomplished at a young age. We admire his desire to give back to the community! He has rendered an invaluable service to the community with his involvement.