Sam Hollar is a senior at Carmel Christian and has been attending this school since 6th grade. She has been an incredible addition to the Carmel family and brings positivity and joy into the school every day. 

Hollar has been living in Charlotte, North Carolina, her entire life and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. She and her younger brother, Charlie, have been in the same house since childhood. She explains that she enjoys living in Charlotte because although it is a busier city, she feels like everyone knows everyone. Community is something that is incredibly important to Hollar, and she appreciates the community she has built in Charlotte throughout her life.

In her elementary school years, Hollar attended Smithfield Elementary, a public school. She explains, “I really liked going to public elementary school because if I had gone to private school my whole life, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the experiences in public school. I loved the different environment there, and it was good for me to have both private and public educational and social experiences.”

After attending Carmel for 6 years, Hollar has grown to love a plethora of aspects about CCS. Hollar finds joy in the relationships students build because of the smaller classroom sizes. She explains that the size of Carmel gives people opportunities to grow closer to others that they otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to. Another aspect of the Carmel community that Hollar appreciates is the incredible teachers and staff. Hollar explains that the teachers “go out of their way to build relationships. They are able to connect with students in so many ways, and I appreciate it so much.”

Outside of Carmel’s walls, Hollar has numerous activities and hobbies that she fills her time with. She spends a majority of her time focused on her schoolwork, and she has gained a reputation around Carmel for being the top creator on Quizlet for CCS. Hollar explains that “it all started with Mrs. Solomon’s vocabulary quizzes. After a certain point, people started asking me to make Quizlets, and I gladly did so. They knew me as the person who made Quizlets, and I like making them, but I don’t use them. I just like being able to help other people with this study tool.” Although Hollar doesn’t use her own Quizlets, she still enjoys studying, making notecards and doing homework at coffee shops. Hollar can be seen carrying an enormous amount of notecards at any given time of the day. She enjoys the paper and pen method better for her own studying purposes, but she still makes the Quizlet for her classmates. 

In the time when Hollar is not focusing on her studies, she spends her time dog-sitting. In January 2020, Hollar started her own dog treat business, and it took off during Covid-19. She was able to mix her love for animals with her love for baking/cooking.

After she dipped her toe in the pet business, she started dog sitting for neighbors/friends. Her dog sitting business has spread so much that she dog-sits almost every weekend. Hollar finds dog sitting to be one of her favorite hobbies because she states that “I like the time alone. I’m away from the busyness of life, and I’m in my own headspace.”

She also enjoys baking and trying new recipes. She loves to bring cookies for classes, as a simple treat; however, in the future she hopes to continue to advance in her cooking abilities. She fills the rest of her time with working out and doing CrossFit. She began her CrossFit journey summer before freshman year of high school and has been doing it ever since.  

Hollar is unsure of what she wants to do in the future, and she is still making college decisions and waiting on results. Despite this, she is confident that the experiences and opportunities she will have are going to be enjoyable

and beneficial. In her future, she is certain that she wants to travel frequently and explore new places. Along with that, she also wants to meet new people. She explains “One of my favorite things is listening and observing others. I love hearing their stories and point of view about life. I think it is so important. Traveling to new places and people-watching can help you learn so much about people and the world around you.”

Sophie Muir-Taylor, Hollar’s 10th grade Language Arts teacher, stated a few words about Hollar: “Sam was in my first ever class! From the moment I met her I noticed she was intentional about her words, her listening and everything she did. She has the unique ability to see people with kindness and graciousness; she also pays such attention to details and mundane moments that people often overlook. It has been such a joy to watch Sam mature these past few years; plus, I get to have her again in Media and Journalism this year, which is always a bright spot in my day! Sam is a humble servant, never seeking recognition for the many, many things she does for others. She has blessed me, and SO many with her time at CCS.”

Hollar shows her beautiful personality to everyone she interacts with, and her spirit and love are so evident through all that she does. She is such a blessing to have at Carmel, and she makes the community a better place through her kindness, love and positive spirit!