MyHCHC
BA 2019, Elementary EducationOwasso, OK
Hellenic College might not seem like the obvious choice for someone like Bailie, who was one of only two girls in the engineering department at her high school and a National Parliamentarian in her senior year. But outside of school she was deeply involved in her church and Orthodox youth activities, so she thought she should consider HCHC. “I arrived for my visit in a snowstorm and Fr. Greg [Director of Admissions] gave me a tour, including the Chapel. I was in awe of the relics and the whole atmosphere. This felt like where I belonged.”
Bailie started out expecting to major in Management and Leadership (now Business Management), but a work-study job with children in her sophomore year through America Reads changed her mind. “By the end of the year,” she says, “I wanted to do that every day of my life.” So she switched her major to Elementary Education and wound up getting hands-on classroom experience with children in first through fifth grades. “I especially love first- and second-graders because of their curiosity and willingness to try new things.”
In the course of her four years at Hellenic, Bailie served as president of the Campus Activities Board and introduced a number of new events to add fun to the lives of our students and strengthen their sense of community. Thanks to her, HCHC had its first Spirit Week, first Christmas Ball, and first St. Nicholas party for children. A “huge Red Sox fan,” Bailie loved going to home games at Fenway Park. “One time, I caught a foul ball and got to run all the bases on Fan Day!” She also traveled from coast to coast as an Ambassador, sharing her enthusiasm for HCHC with prospective students throughout the country. Off campus, she volunteered at a children’s theatre and with the “Girls Who Code” program at the local public library.
Still, the center of Bailie’s life at Hellenic has always been Holy Cross Chapel. “Getting to begin and end each day there is such a special thing. I was here for Pascha all four years and had the huge honor of decorating the Epitafio. I will really miss all of that and the chanting.”
Wherever life after college takes her, there is no doubt that Bailie’s love of children and her Orthodox faith will illuminate her path.