Ellissa Bailey, chemistry senior, is making her voice heard in the worlds of science and government.
Bailey transferred to OCU from Kansas Wesleyan University her sophomore year.
Bailey said she has always had a passion for science.
“I’ve always been a science and math person,” Bailey said. “I like equations, and that’s what brought me to physics. I took a physics class in high school, and my teacher explained how you can see physics in your everyday life,” Bailey said.
When Bailey first came to OCU, she pursued a physics degree with a math minor.
“I had always planned on being a math minor, just because it’s so easy when you’re already a physics major, since we take so many math classes in general,” she said. “When I got to my first school, I was an engineering major, and then I got to OCU and was just physics, but our physics program isn’t very good, so I had to change majors, and chemistry was the easiest transition.”
Bailey said she hopes to pursue a career in civil engineering.
“Engineering will always have my heart, so after I graduate I will take a year off and relax, and then I’m going to get a second bachelor’s in civil engineering and then a masters in either engineering or in city planning,” she said.
Bailey is also a member of the cheerleading team and said she has been cheering since eighth grade.
“I’ve always liked doing backflips. Tumbling was always super cool, so I started doing that. I usually played regular sports like basketball, track and volleyball, and I was doing cheerleading on top of that,” she said. “When I got to high school, I had to choose one, and out of all the sports, our track team and our cheerleading team were the best. I just liked to win. I chose cheerleading.”
Bailey said the life skills she learned through high school cheer helped her with her future endeavors.
“I loved my cheerleading coach in high school,” she said. “She was the type of coach who wants to shape you into the adult that you will soon be. I learned a lot of leadership skills.”
Bailey said her transition into college life was jarring.
“Coming to OCU, it was very different for me. Where I grew up in Louisville, Texas, it’s super diverse. When I went to my first college, it was a little less diverse. And when I came to OCU, there wasn’t really much at all. It was pretty much just white people, black people and exchange students,” she said. “It was definitely a culture shock for me.”
Bailey said in order to cope with the different environment at OCU, she joined Black Student Association.
“I often felt like I was being singled out or attacked when it came to my blackness or my culture, so BSA was a safe space where I could be myself and celebrate my blackness among other people who look like me,” she said.
In addition to cheerleading and BSA, Bailey said she has been involved in other extracurricular activities.
“I was a cheerleader for three years, and then I’ve done BSA for three years also. I’m part of Spectrum and the National Society for Leadership and Success,” she said. “We don’t have a National Society of Black Engineers technically on campus, but I am a member of that as well as the Society of Women Engineers.”
Bailey said her most memorable moment of senior year took place at a conference at University of Oklahoma.
“I went to a Big XII conference on black student government. That was my favorite part of this year, definitely,” she said. “It’s basically a conference for black students who go to predominantly white schools who are looking to network and enjoy a safe space and talk about similar problems we have had on our campuses that pertain to being black in white spaces. We learn tools on how to combat these issues, or brainstorm together on how to make an impact and make our campuses more safe for black students.”
Chris Richie, music theater sophomore and vice president of BSA, said Bailey is always dependable.
“Ellissa Bailey is one of the smartest human beings I have ever met. The second I came to OCU, she was one of the first people to tell me about the school and showed me around,” Richie said. “Her outstanding character has made such an impact at OCU.”
Bailey said students should find supportive communities.
“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Everybody needs a tribe on campus, because that’s essential for success. You need people in your corner, especially when you’re struggling because you’ll need them when you’re doing really well or really bad,” Bailey said.
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