The New York Ducks have been a central part of Bailey Holloway’s story since she was a UO student. The chapter’s New York City Intern Scholarship made it possible for Holloway, BS ’19 (international studies), to move to New York. After graduation, the group became her community, as she served fellow Ducks as the chapter’s scholarship chair and vice president.
Holloway grew up in Sherwood, Oregon, and knew she wanted to experience living in a big city. While she initially dreamed of Seattle, it was at the University of Oregon that she found her place.
“I just like felt like I belonged,” she said.
Following advice from a coworker at the Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, Holloway applied for the New York City Intern Scholarship. Awarded each year to one UO student participating in an internship program in the New York City metropolitan area, the $1,500 scholarship can be used for expenses students incur during their time in New York, from travel to rent and groceries. For Holloway, the scholarship made her dreams a reality.
“I was the recipient of [the New York Ducks] scholarship that one summer when I was interning, which was the only reason I was able to move to New York, and that scholarship was life changing,” she said.
During that time, she worked several internships. She started at Ovenly, a women-owned bakery. She then interned with the Earth Day Initiative and Urban Green Council, nonprofits focusing on community outreach and education programs. After spending nine months in the Big Apple, Holloway returned to Eugene to complete her studies and graduate. It wasn’t long before she moved back to the East Coast, joining FiscalNote as a sales development representative.
Diving headfirst into work, Holloway wanted to find community and a way to give back. That’s when she leaned on her values and the Ducks around her.
“I'm a very values driven person and one of my biggest values is service . . . I would go plant trees in the Bronx, or go to a soup kitchen at Hell's Kitchen, or do a rooftop garden in the East Village. There [are] so many random things and people need help,” she said.
On top of volunteering across the city, she also started volunteering with the New York Ducks chapter. For five years, she served on the chapter’s board as scholarship chair, volunteer chair, and vice president, helping UO students access the same support she received.
“I'm really passionate about being connected to your roots and making things better for other people,” she said. “When I'm in doubt or when my cup is feeling empty, I turn to direct service and learning how I can make my community better to make myself feel better.”
Giving back led her to the nonprofit sector, where she now works to improve children’s access to mentorship and play through sports as a program manager at the FundPlay Foundation and a coach trainer with GURLS TALK.
“Play is a fundamental human right. No matter who you are, what your abilities are, where you live, you should be able to play, so I'm grateful that I get to spend my day-to-day job helping more community members be trained to be proper mentors to youth . . . because if you have someone who believes in you, you can do anything,” she said.
While she spends her time serving those around her, she also knows that it takes time to be comfortable in a new place doing new things, and she wants everyone to have the chance to flourish and find themselves in service.
“It is so important to identify your values and live your values in your life because you get one [life] and every moment is precious. You deserve to try everything and you deserve to fail a lot and get back up. And it is beautiful and brave to put yourself out there with a new activity . . . and if it doesn't work, that's okay. Just give yourself grace, and let yourself trust your gut,” she said.
She found her bearings in her new home with the support of fellow UO alumni and hopes that every graduate taking flight will find mentorship, purpose, and service wherever they land.
"If someone is looking for mentorship or community, they should absolutely get involved in their local alumni chapter,” she said.
—By Sarah Bathke, BA ’25 (journalism), UO Alumni Association communications generalist