Lainey Holmes

Background

About Lainey Holmes

Spring of 2022, Washington, DC – National 4-H Conference. This was the moment I discovered my passion for the art of marketing. Alongside 20 other youth 4-H members, I was tasked with creating a “Campaign Against Food Waste” aimed at engaging and activating youth. Our group divided into four teams—mine was the marketing team. It was through team leadership, collaboration, and creative problem-solving that we built a campaign strong enough to present to the Environmental Protection Agency. Initially, we struggled to find direction. But everything shifted when we began to think like our audience. What would make us care? That mindset shift led to our “aha” moment and sparked a focus on creative strategy—positioning the message in a way that felt personal, relatable, and action-oriented. We built a deliverable designed to generate demand for change among youth across the country. When we presented our work to the EPA, we were recognized for our out-of-the-box thinking and creativity. That experience showed me the real power of marketing—and I knew I wanted to use that same energy to help businesses connect, grow, and make an impact. Today, I’m honing that passion at the Kelley School of Business, focused on becoming the kind of marketer who not only thinks strategically, but leads with purpose.