This is the third in a series of features showing the impact your philanthropic gifts have on EKU student-athletes! Eastern Kentucky University's Giving Day 2021 will take place on Wednesday, April 14. This 24-hour online challenge is designed to increase giving participation among the entire EKU community. Also known as #GiveBigE, the event's goal is to receive support from 1,000 donors in 24 hours. Please consider a gift to the Colonel Club or sports program of your choice on EKU Giving Day.
Eastern Kentucky means much more to Bailey Hubbard than just a logo on her maroon polo or golf bag.
The Colonels' junior golfer grew up 70 miles southeast of Richmond in the town of Manchester, population 1,255. She takes a great deal of pride in her hometown and is incredibly close to her family.
"I'm a homebody; I love Eastern Kentucky," Hubbard said. "You can't find better people anywhere. Everybody is willing to help you and you know everybody in the whole town on a first-name basis. I like the close-knit community. I go home every weekend and sometimes even throughout the week. It's just an hour down the road."
When it was time to select a university, the 2016 Kentucky Miss Golf and the 2017 Kentucky Miss Golf runner-up, knew she didn't want to go far. Her mom, Courtney, had attended EKU. It seemed to be the perfect fit.
"I wanted to stay close to home," Hubbard said. "I felt comfortable being here. Them having such a good golf team, I thought, this is perfect. Me being from Eastern Kentucky, I feel like not a lot of people get this opportunity. I have to show them what we're made of while I'm here."
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Growing up, Hubbard played every sport imaginable. Her aunt, Regina, made sure she experienced a wide range of activities.
"I played basketball, I was a cheerleader, I played softball, tennis and golf," she said. "When I was in the sixth grade, I had to start narrowing it down because it was just getting to be too much. I really liked golf because I was able to play as an individual and you can't do that with all the other sports. I started taking it serious in the sixth grade and I've played pretty much my entire life."
She was a two-time Kentucky All-State selection and was the 2016 Region 9 Player of the Year at Clay County High School. Hubbard qualified for the KHSAA State Golf Championships five consecutive years, beginning in the eighth grade. In her high school career, she recorded 30 top-five individual finishes. Additionally, she was an all-region selection as part of the school's tennis team.
Hubbard was a standout in the classroom, earning recognition as a Rogers Scholar and a Governor's Scholar. Governor's Scholars who have a high school grade point average of 3.75 or above and an ACT above 25 have their full undergraduate tuition covered by Eastern Kentucky University.
"I don't owe a penny," Hubbard said. "I don't want to be in debt. I feel like there was no need for me to go out of state or go to some other school and have to pay when I could come here for free and get the same education. It's all turned out really well and worked out for the best."
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As long as she can remember, Hubbard has always wanted to become a dentist. She traces it back to when she first started losing her baby teeth at the age of four.
"I was obsessed with pulling my teeth," she said. "I've always liked going to the dentist and never had a bad experience. I love brushing, flossing and doing all that. Ever since middle school, this is what I've wanted to do. I've always wanted to do something in the medical field. I thought, I really like going to the dentist, I really like teeth, so I might as well give it a try."
Becoming a dentist will also provide Hubbard the opportunity to give back to the hometown and the people she loves.
"In Manchester, there's only two dentists and the majority of the people have to leave to go to the dentist," Hubbard said. "I want to go back home and I want to help my community. What better way than to be a dentist and be what they need?"
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The balancing act of golf and academics, which has provided its fair share of challenges over the past three years, is nearly complete.
Hubbard will graduate this spring in three years with her bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences. All while playing a major role on the Colonels' golf team. Heading into this weekend's Ohio Valley Conference Championships, Hubbard is on pace to have her best collegiate season yet with a stroke average of 76.89.
"It's been really hard," Hubbard said. "The time management has been the hardest – knowing when you need to do what and planning ahead. Golf is very demanding, but I found a way to make it work."
All the work Hubbard has put in to this point has all been in pursuit of her goal to become a dentist. She submitted her 35-page application to the University of Kentucky's College of Dentistry in September 2020. It was a long wait until midnight this past December 15 when the school sent out its admissions offers.
For Hubbard, it was a lifelong dream realized.
"It was like the whole world was lifted off my shoulders," she said. "I was so tore up waiting until 12:00 to see if I'd get the e-mail. I was refreshing it every five minutes. My whole family was there. It was a really good feeling just knowing that everything I had done had finally paid off."
The skills she has acquired as a student-athlete will undoubtedly help Hubbard as she continues her journey towards her ultimate goal.
"I definitely think the time management part of being a student-athlete will come in handy," she said. "Being used to that is really going to help me transition. And then being adaptable to certain situations. Just like on the golf course, you never know where the ball's going one shot to another. You just have to go with the flow and take it as it is. That's shaped my outlook on life."
Hubbard's time at Eastern Kentucky will soon be coming to an end, but the lessons she learned along the way have been invaluable.
"I've grown over the last three years and matured," she said. "I feel like I've accomplished a lot and accomplished a lot of things that most people don't. I'm glad I've been able to have an impact on my team. It's been fun and I'm going to miss it."
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Eastern Kentucky University's Giving Day 2021 will take place on Wednesday, April 14. The 24-hour online challenge is designed to increase giving participation among the entire EKU community.
Supporting Eastern Kentucky Athletics means providing opportunities for student-athletes to compete in the sport they love and earn their bachelor's degree – something they might not have otherwise had the opportunity to do. It means helping them pursue their dreams in life.
"I'm doing something to try to make a difference and better myself," Hubbard said. "Overall, everybody that I've come in contact with at EKU has supported me and wanted me to succeed. I really feel like there are people out there who want to make a difference, who are trying to make something of themselves and the financial part of it does stop some people from following their dreams. I feel like giving to help people do that, it's worth it."
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Give Your All: For Your Community – Bailey Hubbard - EKU Sports
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