University of Illinois College of Education Doctoral Candidate, Rachel Storm (EPOL) has been named one of two 2019-2020 Fred S. Bailey Fellowship recipients from the YMCA of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Fred S. Bailey Fellowship for Community Leadership, Service, and Activism supports University of Illinois Urbana campus graduate and professional students who have shown passion, creativity, innovation, and commitment through community organizing, activism, and/or service in one or more of the following areas: social justice, environment, global engagement, and/or interfaith cooperation.
Storm is passionate about community responses to interpersonal, social, and systemic violence, believing in the power of creative organizing. She's a frequent curator of projects that offer social justice education, elevate underrepresented voices, and cultivate creative spaces for community-building. Her passions have led her to initiate programs such as the Annual Feminist Film Festival and Campus Ecofeminism Summit; start two indymedia arts camps for underrepresented youth; organize internationally on issues of gender-based violence; teach intergroup dialogue; and facilitate restorative circles. For eight years, she served as a victim advocate and assistant director of the Women’s Resources Center. She now directs the City of Urbana’s Arts and Culture Program.
The Fred S. Bailey Scholarship program was created by Fred S. Bailey to provide financial support to University of Illinois students who demonstrated unique skills and talents that would allow them to flourish as community leaders who could make a difference.
Since 1957, the Bailey Scholarship has been administered by the YMCA of the University of Illinois. Over $100,000 in scholarships are awarded each year to students who demonstrate a record of leadership, scholarship and intelligence, evidence of thoughtful consideration of issues, involvement in their community, a commitment to giving back to their community, a history of community service and volunteering.