Isabelle Bailey

Name: Izzy Bailey

Degree Program(s): MSW

Home Country: United States

Role in Graduate Student Government: Senior Grants Officer

Reason behind joining the GSG as an officer: I joined Graduate Student Government to help ensure that graduate students have equitable access to resources, funding opportunities, and decision-making spaces. As a disabled graduate student, I am particularly motivated to strengthen transparency and accessibility within student government and funding processes.

As an officer in the GSG, how would you like to contribute in such a way that you improve the situation for graduate students?: In my role as Senior Grants Officer, I hope to support fair and accessible distribution of student funds, improve clarity around grant processes, and advocate for policies that reduce financial and structural barriers for graduate students.

Long-Term Career Goals: My long-term goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker specializing in disability adjustment counseling, with a focus on systems-level advocacy, accessibility, and inclusive practice within healthcare and social service settings.

Research at UMaine: My academic interests include disability justice at the intersections of race, class, and gender; structural ableism with social service and healthcare systems; and participatory, community-engaged research with disabled-people.

Involvement in clubs and other organizations: I serve on the board of MOBALE (Maine Organization for Blind Athletics and Leadership Education), the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Graduate Council, and the School of Social Work curriculum committee’s accessibility subcommittee. I am also involved in outdoor equity efforts through the Nature-Based Education Consortium’s Outdoor Equity Working Group.

Hobbies: I enjoy spending time outdoors, knitting, learning to play the banjo, and letting my sourdough starter run my life.

Fun facts: You can usually find me accompanied by my guide dog, Bright!

Picture: ID; Izzy, with brown hair in pigtail braids and sunglasses, sits smiling on a giant boot sculpture. Bright, her black guide dog in a leather harness, lays at her feet