For Bailey Greenwood of Des Arc, winner of the 2020 Margaret Young Award as most outstanding senior female student at Arkansas Tech University, it only took one look to know that ATU was the place for her.
“I remember falling in love with the campus and the people there,” said Greenwood while reflecting upon a campus tour she took as a high school senior. “They were so welcoming and so nice to us. From that moment on, I was committed to Tech and started my journey there.”
Over the next four years, Greenwood accumulated a grade point average of 3.947 while earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism. She was selected to the 2019 ATU Homecoming court and was named Who’s Who Among Students at Arkansas Tech University for 2019-20.
She points back to the opportunities provided by her sorority, Delta Zeta, as being the spark that pushed her to excellence at ATU.
“I got a leadership position within Delta Zeta that made me branch out,” said Greenwood. “I met more people and became more involved. I reached out to other organizations, and that’s where the Golden Girls (ATU dance team) came in. A lot of my sorority sisters and girls in other sororities were convincing me to do it because I was involved with dance battles and step shows. They saw I had that dance background, so they said I had to try out.”
Greenwood made the Golden Girls as a junior and was elected captain for her senior year.
She also served as vice president for ATU Baptist Collegiate Ministry and in multiple leadership positions for Delta Zeta, including a pivotal role as vice president of new member education in 2018.
“I was that mentor for the new girls who were coming into our sorority,” said Greenwood. “I learned how to speak to them as both a peer group and as an authority figure so they would respect my leadership. I had to figure out how to speak publicly and how to be organized.”
Within the ATU Department of Communication and Journalism, Greenwood was president of the ATU chapter for the Society of Professional Journalists and an active participant in ATU’s student broadcast operations — TechTV and KXRJ 91.9 FM.
She counts Megan Toland, assistant professor of journalism, and Dr. Merlin Mann, who served on the ATU journalism faculty for six years and retired in 2018, among her most influential professors at ATU.
Toland and Mann conspired to provide Greenwood and her fellow seniors with an unforgettable final memory of their time at ATU. In early March, just days before courses transitioned to virtual instruction due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Mann appeared as a surprise guest lecturer in one of Toland’s classes.
“It meant so much,” said Greenwood. “He was one of the most influential professors I ever had. There was a group of three seniors — me, Trey Starks and Hannah Coster — and we begged Mrs. Toland every semester to bring (Mann) back so we could hear from him one more time. We were originally just going to Skype call him, but he surprised us and came to speak in person. We were so excited. He was so influential on me, and his infamous red pen made be a better writer and a better journalist in general. To hear from him and that encouragement one more time meant the world to me.”
Greenwood believes the mistakes she was allowed to make and learn from — with the help of that red pen — have prepared her for everything that will follow.
“Students I see from other schools, they are a broadcast major or a print major, but they don’t have that hands-on experience,” said Greenwood. “Arkansas Tech equips its journalism students to go into the work force immediately. I am so thankful our professors have taught us those lessons. Without that, I would be clueless to be honest. Many students are until they get into a master’s program or an internship. They don’t learn those essential skills that Arkansas Tech has given me.”
She will carry those skills with her as she pursues a master’s degree and then a career in public relations. Greenwood’s next scheduled step is a six-month internship with Disney beginning August 2020.
“I was so excited and so honored that I was chosen to be the most outstanding senior female at Arkansas Tech,” said Greenwood. “That’s a really big deal to me, and I am so thankful. Winning this award is reassurance that I gave back just a little bit of what Arkansas Tech has given to me.
“Even if you are thinking about going other places, please tour Tech, look at our campus and meet some people,” continued Greenwood. “It might surprise you just like it surprised me. It became my home away from home. I am so, so sad to leave, but I am so, so happy I had the opportunity to grow as a person at Arkansas Tech.”
