Madison Holleran was the third child in a family of 5 born and raised in Northern New Jersey. As the middle child, she was quiet, shy and tended to keep to herself. However, she broke out of her shell at a young age once she started to play and compete in sports. Soccer, a real passion for Madison, introduced her to many teammates who eventually became some of her best friends. When she wasn’t practicing soccer or traveling for games, you could find Madison on the tennis court with her family. Everyone in the Holleran family plays tennis and Madison was no exception – she was great at it.
A 2013 graduate of Northern Highlands Regional High School, Madison excelled in academics as well as arguably being North Jersey’s top female athlete. She was incredibly popular, her classmates say, mainly because she was always quick with a smile and was genuinely kind and personable. Madison was a member of the Northern Highlands ’12 and ’13 undefeated girls soccer teams and played a huge role in the team’s success. A standout in both soccer and tennis, Madison ultimately decided to pursue running track in college, where she was also one of the top athletes in the state throughout high school. Maddy signed on with the University of Pennsylvania, where she ran for one of the top programs in the country.
Tragically, on January 17, 2014, Madison Holleran took her own life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while attending her second semester at UPenn. She was 19 years old.
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Some of your stories
Amanda's Story
Little Miss Fearless: It’s Still Ok To Not Be Ok I remember watching the video of Madison Holleran’s story through tear-filled eyes on the bed in my San Francisco hotel room. It was June 2015. I was there for a work trip and during a dinner discussion about social media, a colleague asked if I’d heard the news. The words beautiful, student-athlete, and Instagram were enough to pique my interest. I had been silently struggling with perfectionism for years--in large part due to the pressure I felt from fashion blogging and social media--but couldn’t quite put a label on it. Reading Maddy’s story, I felt understood. Validated. Instead of feeling ashamed of my struggle, I felt hope.
Amanda’s StoryClaire's Stroy
Like Victoria who just wrote in recently, I also played tennis at the University of Florida and struggled with depression and anxiety. From when I was 15, I had a series of health issues ranging from orthopedic injuries to rare viruses that took multiple surgeries to resolve. Throughout my time at Florida, I struggled to stay afloat with tennis as well as school and found myself at one of the lowest points in my life.
Claire’s Story
