Olivia Bailey (E&H ’14) tells the stories of our region.
A native of Chilhowie, 2014 graduate of Emory & Henry College, and now an anchor and reporter at WCYB in Bristol, Virginia, Bailey tells the stories of our region with empathy and accuracy.
“Emory & Henry taught me to see the world in a much broader way,” says Bailey. “The connected liberal arts curriculum taught me to see the world with empathy and compassion. I learned to understand, but not always agree with those around me. It taught me to ask questions, even of myself.”
Bailey says the support from the faculty helped make her feel comfortable starting her career. She felt the faculty invested in her and the Emory & Henry community felt more like family than a college campus.
“I always felt supported at Emory & Henry, personally and professionally,” says Bailey. “I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with my professors and other students to really identify my strengths and weaknesses. Professors always encouraged me to seek out what I was capable of and challenged me to do so.”
While at Emory & Henry, Bailey double-majored in Mass Communications and Public Policy & Community Service. She was also heavily involved on campus in activities that helped her learn and prepare for her future career such as serving in leadership roles for the Whitetopper, EHC-TV, Emory & Henry Cross Country, and WEHC.
The internships Bailey held while at Emory & Henry were critical stepping stones in her career. From CNN in Atlanta, CBS Evening News in New York City, to WCYB in Bristol, Bailey says she had all the experiences a young journalist could ask for.
“Every internship taught me something new and gave me a new set of skills to prepare me for the workforce,” says Bailey. “I felt more than ready and capable to take on a full-time job by the time I finished my college career because I had already been working in the industry for so long.”
Her internship experience led her to being in the epicenter of some of the most high-profile news stories of our generation from the birth of Prince George to the sentencing in the Trayvon Martin case.
“I met my mentor at CNN, Jason Meucci, who has invested in my personal and professional life for nearly a decade now,” says Bailey. “He still sends me regular text messages, phone calls, and social media encouragement.”
These experiences also led her to discover what she did and did not want out of her career and how much she preferred and loved local news.
“Form meaningful relationships and be a person who can be trusted,” advises Bailey to current Emory & Henry students. “No matter if you’re ambitiously chasing a dream across the country or settling back in your hometown, those relationships are so critical to being comfortable and building who you are both in and out of your career.”
Olivia Bailey
I always felt supported at Emory & Henry, personally and professionally. I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with my professors and other students to really identify my strengths and weaknesses. Professors always encouraged me to seek out what I was capable of and challenged me to do so.
- Olivia Bailey
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