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• • Holman legacy passed to fellow design students at MSU-Great Falls
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  • Holman legacy passed to fellow design students at MSU-Great Falls

The success of one special student is helping to open doors for others with a passion for interior design in Great Falls, and it was Sara Holman's purse that represents that passion.

Sara Holman had trouble finding her path until she started the interior design program at M-S-U Great Falls, and when she did, her father Dwight said, "She brought a lot of energy to the program."

Julie Myers, the program director, smiled as she recalled Sara's passion, saying, "Whenever she had to do presentations, that's when I really saw her shine, when it was a real live project."

Sara was on the right track until summer break after her first year, when she was killed in a car accident in Tennessee in 2007.

After her death, Sara's parents wanted to do something positive to remember their daughter.

Dwight explained, "To help the program, through a memorial scholarship and so forth, would be a very positive thing for future classes that would follow in the program."

Myers thought that "passing the purse" - literally, during a formal ceremony, and figuratively, through a scholarship in Sara's name - would be a unique way to remember Sara, adding, "Sara was a fashion girl and she loved purses. She loved fashion in general."

Stephany Kessler, a recipient of the Holman scholarship, said, "The purse idea is amazing, that's really cool....I wish I could have met her, she sounds like a really nice lady."

Dwight commented, "To be able to take someone's young life like that and help other people in that same point in their life is very meaningful for us."

Usually the scholarship only goes to a graduating student, but this year, there was enough money for two scholarships.

The second one will be given out at the end of the semester to a first-year student in the interior design program.

In addition to scholarships, the Sara Holman Memorial Fund has also helped MSU-GF design students travel to seminars.