10/13/2026
Tiffany Holmes ’19 came to Cottey with a plan. By the time she left, she had a better one!
At 27, Tiffany was ready to leave her culinary career behind and pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian.
Thanks to the Women’s Leadership Scholarship, she enrolled in Cottey’s Foundations in Leadership class. The curriculum sparked an unexpected interest in leadership, but a conversation during spring break gave her an entirely new perspective.
While visiting a former instructor in Sarasota, FL, they heard about Tiffany’s background and future plans and remarked, “We’ve got to get her here to teach.”
That comment stuck. As a nontraditional student who was also thinking about starting a family, Tiffany began to see teaching as a way to bring her experience and future goals together.
With guidance from Dr. Carol Clyde, she mapped out a plan to earn her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership in just one additional year.
Looking back, Tiffany shared, “By graduation, everything felt aligned and purposeful.”
Sometimes, the path forward isn’t the one you planned, but the one that brings your experiences, priorities, and passions together in unexpected ways.
