Holden named 'Support Airman of the Week'

  • Published
  • By Staff Reports
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Staff Sgt. Sophie Holden, 82nd Comptroller Squadron NCO in charge of customer service and native of Iriga city, Philippines, has been in the Air Force for eight years and is the Support Airman of the Week for Oct. 6-12, 2015. Holden is responsible for ensuring Airmen receive fast and efficient financial customer service.

How she impacts the training mission:
"Staff Sgt. Sophie Holden is a dependable professional, who took on challenges well above her pay grade with enthusiasm and determination," said Senior Master Sgt. Alisha Rowland, 82nd CPTS superintendent. "Although not the highest ranking NCO in the unit, she was selected to oversee the Finance Office Customer Service operations during manning shortages when the officer in charge deployed. She is self-motivated and her leadership is reflected in her ratee's, who have earned Below the Zone, Airman of the quarter, honor guard Airman of the quarter and recently academic award from Airmen Leadership School. She also leads the unit with the contingency training program ensuring deployment readiness and takes the initiative to lead the unit with community service like Meals-on-Wheels, Freedom Fest, July 4th events, joint warrior technical student competitions and squadron booster club morale events. Staff Sgt. Holden truly is a role model and without any doubts, sets the bar high for her peers as she managed customer service operations, unit in-house and contingency training, ensuring deployment readiness."

Most significant accomplishments:
· Received NCO of the quarter by back-filling the deployed flight commander for four months, leading nine peers.
· Facilitated flood affected peers payments by processing $41,000 worth of vouchers for 43 displaced families.
· Finalized DoD finance management certification one year ahead of schedule.

"Holden was born and raised in Philippines and moved to the U.S. in 2007," Rowland said. "She joined the Air Force only three months later and received her first duty station at the U.S. Air Force Academy. She then married another military member and Permanently Changed Station to Sheppard in 2012 and gave birth to her first child, Dakila Deshon, in 2014. Holden hopes to finish all pre perquisite classes for nursing and apply for a commission as a nurse officer."