On a chilly Saturday night in February 2023, Josh Holm, ’15, stood to the side of a runway in Milan, watching models show off apparel he had designed for his label Castles & Queens as cameras flashed and the crowd applauded in one of the four fashion capitals of the world. It was one of the biggest moments of Holm’s life, but just a few years ago, it seemed impossible—a dream that might never come true.
Half Korean and half Caymanian, Holm was born to a single mother in South Korea. His mom, Kim, worked multiple jobs to support them, but their financial situation caused Holm to go in and out of foster care multiple times. Then, when he was five-years-old, their house burned down and his mother was forced to make an extremely difficult decision. Friends told her that Holm’s best chance for a prosperous life was being adopted by an American family. She couldn’t stand the idea of letting her son go, but she also wanted the best life for him, so she sent him to an orphanage. Within a few months, an American couple visited the orphanage. “They weren’t even looking to adopt,” Holm said, “but they came across me and after hearing my story, they felt God calling them to bring me into their family.” He moved with his new parents, Joel and Marie, to a suburb of Chicago. Holm’s parents provided an amazing new life for him, and he had two new sisters, Rachel and Lisa. Holm no longer faced the challenges of wondering where his next meal would come from or getting a quality education. While he did well in school, he truly excelled in athletics. Toward the end of high school, Holm was recruited by Azusa Pacific University’s track and field coaches. His family flew to the West Coast and toured the university.
Although he planned to run track throughout college, Holm stopped after his freshman year. “I felt God telling me, ‘this is it for you.’ It was a hard decision, but it made sense because track was a personal dream, but it wasn’t what I was meant to do,” he said. Holm decided to devote his newfound free time to his studies (he majored in practical theology and minored in leadership) and his internship with The Dream Center, a nonprofit dedicated to confronting human trafficking and helping foster children and at-risk youth. For the first few months of his internship, Holm helped with whatever the organization needed, mostly running errands, but one night, after the team saw his dedication, he was brought along on an outreach. “We went into Anaheim, just a couple blocks from Disneyland, and gave out resources to runaway children,” Holm said. “It was devastating seeing the reality of what they face on the streets.” This experience ignited a passion inside Holm. After talking with his APU mentors, Matt Browning and Terry Franson, Holm decided to start a student club called Free the Captives.
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