Alumni Update: Bailie Holst
2/11/2021
Bailie Holst competed for the Maroon and Gold from 2014-2017 and made a great impact. Holst is tied for the Gophers program record on uneven bars with a 9.975, was a two-time All-B1G First Team honoree and won 11 event titles during her career. She was part of two regular season Big Ten championship teams in 2014 and 2016 and helped the Gophers reach NCAA Nationals in 2016.
On top of her success in the gym, Holst was equally as strong in the classroom during her time at Minnesota. She was a three-time Academic All-B1G honoree and a four-time Academic All-American. Read more about Bailie’s time after graduation in this alumni update.
What led you to the University of Minnesota?
I had visited numerous campuses through gymnastics camps and competitions. I competed at Northern Lights Classic a few times and during one of the competition weekends I decided to tour the University of Minnesota campus. I fell in love the beautiful colors, the people, the academic programs they offered, seasons that are similar to my home state of Colorado, and the feeling of home that overwhelmed me while on campus. Once I was of recruiting age I kept in contact with the coaches and over the course of several months ended up accepting a scholarship an entire year early to be part of the team. Out of all the campuses I visited, I just knew UMN was the one. I can’t really explain it fully, I just knew it was perfect for me.
You graduated in 2017, what have you been doing since your time with the Gophers?
After graduation, I moved back to Colorado for a job as a medical assistant at a Physiatry office. I needed this job in order to gain over 2,000 hours of direct patient care in the medical field in order to apply to Physician Assistant graduate school. After several applications and interviews, I had been accepted into the Red Rocks Physician Assistant program right here in Arvada, CO. It was my first choice and even now I could not be more grateful and thankful to have this opportunity so close to home. I am currently a little over halfway through the program and have been out on clinical rotations in various rural communities around Colorado. Although we are seeing a large number of COVID19 patients I am just thankful to finally be out of the classroom, doing what I love, and helping people. I intend on graduating with my Masters of Physician Assistant Studies in November of 2021 and finding a job as a PA-C in Colorado.
Have you been able to watch and stay connected to the current team? What advice would you give to them?
Any chance I have to watch the team, I try my best. We have seen the team in Nebraska, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Minnesota several times in the recent years. School and now the pandemic make it difficult to travel much but I intend on supporting them as much as I can. The main thing I would say to the team is take a second everyday to just take in everything around you and be grateful. Even on the difficult and long days, where nothing seems to be going right, and you’re exhausted just take a second to ground yourself and put a smile on your face. My four years there were some of the best of my life and it goes by way too quick. Just enjoy every second of it.
What is something you wish your younger self would have known?
I wish my younger self would have known I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. I was never confident, secure, and never thought I was talented enough to accomplish everything I wanted to. But now I know that “hard work beats talent when talent does work hard.” When you stop comparing yourself to others and just start trying your best while enjoying what you do, this is when you really succeed.
What makes the University of Minnesota so special?
I personally just love the atmosphere of the University of Minnesota. Even though it is a massive university, there is a sense of unity between athletes, faculty, and students of all different backgrounds. Not to mention the campus and surrounding area is absolutely beautiful, during every single season of the year.
As a student in the medical field, how have you and your studies been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic?
When the pandemic started, I was finishing the didactic portion of my Master’s program which switched to online. With all of the technologies we have now, we are lucky enough to be able to continue our studies from the safety of our homes. My school and faculty have been extremely dedicated to making sure we are still hitting requirements for graduation even if they are in a different order or the assignments have been ever so slightly adjusted to fit this difficult time. However, since August we have been out on clinical rotations in mainly the rural and underserved populations that my school is committed to helping. I have had one telemedicine rotation which was great practice for the possibility of having telemedicine appointments throughout my career. But mostly we have been out in the community helping people with both COVID19 related medical needs and everyday medical needs, safely in full PPE of course. Overall I am thankful that I am young and healthy enough to help as many people as possible during this trying time.
