COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Ashtin Holman, Tennessee Tech University student-athlete and native of Winchester, Tenn., had a large part in preparing for the annual Black History Month Celebration basketball games that took place at the Hooper Eblen Center this past month.
The initial planning for the event began in late August, when the Athletics staff held a meeting to plan events for the 2023-24 basketball season. Holman was enrolled in a field experience class during the fall semester and decided to complete the required hours by working as an intern for the Marketing & Promotions and Video Production departments. This allowed her to attend and participate in the planning meeting. During the meeting, Holman was very passionate about the Black History Month Celebration game and had a lot of unique ideas, so it was determined that her main project for the semester would be to plan events for that game from start to finish.
Holman planned and organized a variety of events throughout the night including the performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by the Tennessee Tech United Voices of Praise Choir and a stroll performance by five university National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations. She also wanted to create video board slides highlighting people and organizations at Tennessee Tech who helped establish a pathway of success for Black students, faculty, and staff.
"I enjoyed planning these events because it brought us together as a community as we honor Black History," she said. "To me, Black History Month means knowing who I am, knowing my roots, and expressing respect, courage, and inclusion amongst us all in the Black community."
Holman coordinated rehearsals for the choir and NPHC organizations and spent many hours organizing everything leading up to the game. She also helped to promote the event on social media.
Holman is heavily involved on campus serving as Vice President of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Center of Diversity Education (CODE). She is also actively involved with The National Society of Leadership (NSLS) and the Black Student Union (BSU).
Holman is a senior track and field athlete pursuing her bachelor of Sports Administration degree with a double minor in Business and Social Science.
