After her rookie season, Bailey didn't think the Colts Cheerleaders could possibly top what they did last year.
"At the beginning of the year, we always have brainstorming sessions on how we can improve on last year and go above and beyond," she said. "I was at a loss at the beginning of the season because I was like, 'I don't know how we could possibly do more than what we did last year.'"
But Colts Cheer Director Kelly Tilley knew better. She raised the bar on Bailey and her teammates once again.
"I think it's pretty clear that we're going above and beyond this year," Bailey said, "especially with the outreach projects that we're looking to do."
Inspired by the company she works for, Bailey didn't have to look far to find a cause she wanted to support.
"I work for Stanley Security and they have a division called Stanley Gives Back," she said. "They do a lot of volunteer work with Dress For Success. I kind of got to know the program and some of the volunteers there through work and that gave me the idea to formulate a different partnership with them."
She sees a way to pair cheerleaders with women in transition.
"With Dress For Success, a lot of time, it's women who might not have the confidence in themselves, whether that's clothing or the materials they need or being prepared for an interview," she said. "That's the great thing about our team, we have a lot of people in a lot of different areas in the workforce and I think we could provide a lot of support for those women – whether it's from helping them pick out their outfits to interview prep."
It's something she already loves to do.
"If somebody asks me to do their makeup or something, I tell them all the time, 'I just love to do it.' In my few experiences with Dress For Success, it's the same thing. You get to change somebody's complete confidence and outlook on themselves. You can 100% change the way they look at themselves and that is huge."
As cheerleaders, that's pretty much what they do.
"We have a lot of experience cheering each other on, whether that's transitioning through jobs or from school to a career or even just getting through school. We're all in different stages and we have experience cheering each other on through those transitions."
In her first year as a Colts cheerleader, Bailey expected to grow as a performer. What she didn't expect was to grow so much as a person.
"You really don't even get the opportunity to think about it until the end of the season when you're doing your year-end review and you're forced to reflect on everything that you've done. And that's one thing I can say I took away – is just personal growth."
It's helped her realize how much she's capable of.
"The Colts definitely gave us that platform to be able to stand on and really reach in and help the community as much as we can and honestly, it helps me just as much as it helps them at the end of the day."
Now, she wants to pay it forward – and help other women realize their full potential.
"We're pretty good cheerleaders and we have a unique ability to see things in others that they might not see in themselves."
