I always find bios hard to write because I never know where to start. The earlier years of my life were insignificant (sorry expectant mothers, but babies really aren't that interesting). Instead, in my experience, it's easiest to start with my name. My parents christened me Holly Africa Thomas (to the horror of both grandmothers) because I was born in South Africa. However, I am half English and half New Zealand. I moved to New Zealand (my mother's homeland) soon after my first birthday and all that remains of my brief African stint is my middle name and a few carved African animals that line the hallways of my family home.
New Zealand has been my home ever since and I consider it to be the perfect country to grow up in (not that I am biased in any way). My childhood consisted of long, hot, barefoot summers and longer, rainier barefoot school years, so it was a rude awakening when, at age eleven, I was put in a uniform (that included shoes) and was sent to private school. Somehow along the way I became very fond of that uniform (and the school that went with it) and to this day I can tie a tie in a killer half-Windsor knot. My school allowed a lot of creative expression (apart from the uniform), and as any dramatic 11-year-old would, I became fascinated with theatre, so much so that I decided to become an Oscar-winning actress.
It took a little while but ultimately life changed my plans. In my senior year of high school, I became the editor of my school's student-run magazine, "Make Dove Not War."" Although it was not a Nobel-prize winning periodical, it did open my eyes to possibilities outside of theatre. I found that my love of grammar and words could be applied to writing and editing and I began to consider journalism as a profession. However, I decided to ignore those thoughts, and I enrolled as a Theatre major anyway. After my freshman year at USC I realized I had made a horrible mistake. Not only do I hate the extreme self-promotion that comes with being a theatre major, but I missed the challenge of more academically strenuous work. Once I came to the abrupt realization that I was never going to win an Oscar -- and nor did I want to anymore -- I switched my major to Print and Digital Journalism.
While I still don't know if Journalism is the field I definitely want to work in, I now know that I will end up writing in some way, shape or form. I would like to either write or edit for a newspaper or magazine, or get into book publishing and editing. I have found that my Annenberg courses have helped prepare me for either of these careers: I have improved my writing tenfold, learned how to ask questions and explore a subject, and even cut down on my use of the passive voice. Obviously I am no expert yet, but with my continued instruction, both my professor at USC and the copious amounts of reading I do for pleasure, I hope to improve my writing even more.
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