W hen Bailey Clark stepped on the Georgia College & State University campus for an orientation session prior to her freshman year in 2018, little did she know that a chance encounter would help shape not only her academic career path, but her future as well.

“Georgia College has changed my life,” said Clark. “If I had gone anywhere else, I’d still be struggling along and trying to get into med school – a goal I’m not sure I ever really wanted.”

Clark attended her orientation session and visited the Bobcat Athletics promotional table at Bobcat Marketplace. There, she met Al Weston, then Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, and struck up a conversation. That conversation turned into an offer for student employment. 

“When I met Bailey, I had such an immediate positive interaction and ‘vibe’ off of her and her family,” said Weston. “In that role, I relied heavily on student workers to help promote the athletic department and run the different aspects of hosting home events. Bailey started working and immediately hit the ground running. One of the things that stuck out the most early on is she was absolutely fearless when it came to work. She was willing to try anything or take on any job asked of her. You could tell she was just trying to soak it all in.”

“When I came to campus, I had no idea that meeting Al at orientation would be the most pivotal point in my life,” said Clark. “Growing up I always told everyone that if I could work in sports I would. I particularly always enjoyed statistics in sports and didn’t realize there was a job for that until working for Al as a student.”

Clark started to pick up the different roles of a sports communicator very quickly. She began assisting with live statistics, live broadcasts and gameday promotions. It was part way through her sophomore year that she decided to make the switch to a mass communication major.

“After two years of struggling with biology and chemistry classes, I switched my major to mass comm and instantly enjoyed going to class,” Clark said. “With all of my professors, like [Amanda] Respess, [Angela] Criscoe, [Mikkel] Christensen, [Christina] Smith and many others, I instantly felt a connection. Each of them made me feel like they were genuinely invested in my future. I don’t think any other school gives you that.”

After completing her undergrad degree in May 2022, Clark fielded offers from different athletic departments, including some Division I programs, but it was her love for Bobcat Athletics and the opportunity for a GCSU master’s degree that kept her in Milledgeville. Clark finished her master’s in public administration this month.

“In my master’s, the elective courses I chose were based on nonprofits to align research more with my interests in intercollegiate athletics,” said Clark. “I feel like those classes are going to help me down the road when I run my own show somewhere – becoming an athletic director or sports information director – to find where money comes from and how to use it more responsibly.” 

Weston truly enjoyed watching the evolution of Bailey Clark in her academic career.

“No one loves GCSU more than Bailey Clark,” he said. “It’s cliché to say that someone bleeds school colors, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a little blue and green going through her system. She had a passion to promote the great work our student-athletes and coaches do and went above and beyond any expectations I had for her every step of the way.”

Clark will be looking for jobs in collegiate athletic communications. An avid softball fan, she hopes to land in a department that has a top-notch softball program. Having a resume that includes multiple ESPN+ broadcasts for nearby Division I Mercer University, she has thought about pursuing a broadcasting career as well. 

“This has been my home for six years,” said Clark. “The relationships you make at Georgia College aren’t superficial. I’ve made relationships with faculty, staff, students in my classes and student-athletes; they become like family. It feels like I’ve known these people my whole life.”

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