• More More

Search

My Account Logout
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • other
  • NEWS + FEATURES
  • VIDEO
  • FILMS
  • SERIES
  • INTERACTIVE
  • COMMUNITY
  • DATABANK
  • DISNEY+
  • More More
My Account Logout
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • other

ALL OF YOUR STAR WARS FAVORITES NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY+

All

  • Andor
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Books + Comics
  • Characters + Histories
  • Collecting
  • Creativity
  • Disney Parks
  • Disney+
  • Events
  • Fans + Community
  • Films
  • Force For Change
  • Forces of Destiny
  • Galaxy of Adventures
  • Games + Apps
  • ILMxLAB
  • In Pop Culture
  • Interviews
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Lucasfilm
  • Merchandise
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Opinions
  • Quizzes + Polls
  • Recipes
  • Rogue One
  • Solo
  • Star Wars Celebration
  • Star Wars Day
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Star Wars Resistance
  • Television
  • The Bad Batch
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • The Clone Wars
  • The Force Awakens
  • The High Republic
  • The Last Jedi
  • The Mandalorian
  • The Rise of Skywalker
  • The Star Wars Show
  • Visions
{:title=>"Fans + Community", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/fans-+-community"} {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

StarWars.com Fan Spotlight: Holly

July 6, 2021
July 6, 2021
Kelly Knox

Meet the fan who turned her love of Star Wars into a stellar career at NASA.

StarWars.com is shining a light on those who truly give the saga its power: the fans. In the StarWars.com Fan Spotlight, we’re honored to tell their stories.

Holly Griffith set her sights on the stars when she was a little girl. Growing up in the 1980s, Star Wars was a huge part of her life thanks to family and friends who adored it just as much as she did. Holly knew at an early age that she wanted to be Princess Leia when she grew up. She realized that working at NASA was the closest she could get to the stars in our own galaxy, and she worked hard to make her dream come true.

Years later, Holly is still a super fan of our beloved General Organa and continues to reach for the stars at NASA. And it all started with Star Wars.

“All of my friends and neighbors and cousins around my age were HUGE fans,” she tells StarWars.com of her earliest memories. “We would always play Star Wars when we visited each other. I had really long brown hair, and one of my aunts would make me Leia buns every time I’d go over. The first Star Wars movie that I saw in theaters was Return of the Jedi.”

Leia has always been her favorite character.

Holly Griffith

“Leia was the first woman I’d seen in a movie like Star Wars with a role like that,” Holly says. “She was a leader and she just…belonged, like anyone else, and it wasn’t unusual. That was so inspiring to me.”

Holly followed Leia’s journey from princess to general as she forged her own path through life. “I think she stayed true to herself until the end,” she says of Leia. “She understood the importance of fighting for what’s right and that people like her, who have a voice and who wield influence, are vital to the causes that they believe in.”

Holly Griffith's Star Wars room

An entire room in Holly’s house is dedicated to the rebel leader. (“It didn’t start out that way, but it kind of evolved into all of the Leia things,” she says with a laugh.) Colorful posters, fan art, and Funko Pop!s adorn the walls and shelves overflow with Princess Leia toys and figures. Even the rug on the floor pays homage to Star Wars.

A bold “Leijorettes” banner also hangs in the wall of Holly’s themed room. A play on the word majorette, the Leijorettes are a group of enthusiastic fans who regularly honor both Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher.

“We march in the Krewe of Chewbacchus every year for Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” Holly says. “Peter Mayhew even joined and paraded with us one year. We made international news when we held a traditional New Orleans Second Line for Carrie Fisher after she passed.”

Holly’s advice to other girls and young women who want to follow in her footsteps to NASA sounds like wisdom from Princess Leia herself.

“Don’t give up and never stop asking,” Holly says. “Engineering is an exciting field right now, but you never know what opportunities could open for you if you don’t ask. And never stop trying!”

The StarWars.com Fan Spotlight Q&A

What’s your favorite Star Wars memory?

Holly: Visiting Skywalker Ranch! That was wild!

Leia Organa hiding aboard the Tantive IV

Would you join the Resistance or First Order?

Holly: Resistance. Can’t let Leia down!

If you could fly or drive any Star Wars vehicle, which would it be?

Holly: An A-wing. Those were always my favorite in games, like the original X-Wing. They’re fast!

Yoda

Which Star Wars character would you want as a roommate?

Holly: Yoda. He’s patient, gives good advice, and he can cook.

If you could have any job in the Star Wars galaxy -- Jedi, Sith, Death Star janitor, rancor keeper, whatever you want -- what would it be?

Holly: A spy for the Rebel Alliance!

Kelly Knox writes features and DIYs for StarWars.com. Her writing can also be seen on Marvel, DC Comics, IGN, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, games, and crafts.

Site tags: #StarWarsBlog, #FanInterviews

Interviews StarWars.com Fan Spotlight Leia Organa (Star Wars)

Related Stories

{:title=>"The Bad Batch", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/the-bad-batch"} {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Dee Bradley Baker on the Return of Commander Cody – Exclusive

January 13, 2023

January 13, 2023

Jan 13

{:title=>"Fans + Community", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/fans-+-community"}

Happy Holidays from StarWars.com

December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

Dec 23

{:title=>"Games + Apps", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/games-+-apps"} {:title=>"Merchandise", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/merchandise"}

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Invades the Tabletop

December 19, 2022

December 19, 2022

Dec 19

{:title=>"The High Republic", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/the-high-republic"} {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

"Fragile Peace”: Exploring Phase II of Star Wars: The High Republic with the Newest Authors

December 15, 2022

December 15, 2022

Dec 15

{:title=>"Games + Apps", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/games-+-apps"} {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor: Cameron Monaghan on Cal Kestis’ Next Adventure

December 9, 2022

December 9, 2022

Dec 9

{:title=>"Andor", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/andor"} {:title=>"Disney+", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/disney+"}

Dressing the Galaxy: Designer Michael Wilkinson Defines the Look of Andor 's Costumes

November 30, 2022

November 30, 2022

Nov 30

{:title=>"Andor", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/andor"} {:title=>"Behind the Scenes", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/behind-the-scenes"}

Tony Gilroy Breaks Down Andor Season 1

November 25, 2022

November 25, 2022

Nov 25

{:title=>"Andor", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/andor"} {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

Andor’s Ben Bailey Smith on Playing Lieutenant Blevin and the Fun of Being Bad

November 21, 2022

November 21, 2022

Nov 21

More From Star Wars:
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • SWKids
  • Terms of Use
  • Additional Content Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Your California Privacy Rights
  • Star Wars at shopDisney
  • Star Wars Helpdesk
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved