Rooted in Community, Driven by Purpose

A Conversation with Domenick Bailey ’18

BY MELISSA ULSAKER MAAS ’76

Growing up in a military family Domenick Bailey ’18 learned early how to find his footing in new places, how to lead by example, and serve with humility. By the time he arrived at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes in 2016, he had already changed high schools twice—but it wasn’t apparent. Dom carried himself with quiet confidence, excelling in the classroom and on the basketball court. He quickly bonded with classmates and teammates, earning a reputation among teachers as “always positive and ready to engage in class.”

Diving into school life without hesitation, Dom served as a peer leader, captained the varsity basketball team for two years, and was inducted into the Cum Laude Society in 2018. At Prize Day, he received the Scholar Athlete Award for Boys and a Saints Medal.

A four-year Echols and University Achievement Award scholar, Dom graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia, where he majored in psychology and sociology. He was the recipient of two awards, the Office of African American Affairs Dean’s Award and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Student Leadership Award. Fellow student and member of the selection committee for the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards, Chloe Leon, spoke about Dom’s accomplishments in a 2022 UVA Today article: “Dom Bailey has amassed an impressive legacy of scholarship and service to the University and the surrounding community, but you will never hear that from him. A leader both in and outside of the classroom, Dom has co-authored a section of a book with a professor and served as a teaching team member for a course in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.” Leon also lauded Dom’s service as one of the creators and moderators of the BRIDGE program—Bringing Race Into Dialogue with Group Engagement—where he was known as a gifted listener and facilitator.

During his junior year, Dom applied to Harvard Law School’s Junior Deferral Program, securing his place in a future class while gaining two years in between for real-world work experience. At both UVA and Harvard, Dom has been deeply involved in public service, leadership, and advocacy.

In January, Dom returned home to SSSAS to speak at Academic Convocation. Now in his first year at Harvard, we met in April to talk about his journey and the values that guide him.

Q&A

Q. Looking back at your time as a Saint, are there any moments that stand out?

A. I heard about the Sleepy Thompson Tournament and the rivalry with Episcopal, but didn’t know what was in store for me. I soon found out, because I scored the first basket and the toilet paper rained down on the court! Being on the team was a large part of my SSSAS experience. Although I mentioned basketball first, I put my academics first. Doing that allowed me to embark on the path that I have.

Q. In what ways did SSSAS prepare you for college and support your endeavors?

A. I had so many talented and influential teachers. The first one that comes to mind is Mr. Bud Garikes. His AP Government class is part of why I’m in law school right now. He took us to tour the Capitol and later I worked on the Hill and gave tours! The seeds planted by Mr. Garikes shaped a large number of experiences I had at UVA. Coach Dionna Jordan’s AP Psychology class inspired me to major in psychology, which remains ever so relevant now. Much of what I study at Harvard Law has either an explicit or an implicit element of psychology to it. In my senior year I chose AP Biology with Mr. Ted Yoder, but I loved Ms. Sarah Oakes’ chemistry class, too, and sometimes wonder how life might be different had I chosen AP Chemistry. She made it so accessible and helped us develop a particular way of thinking that has applied to all my studies.

I discovered how high the caliber of a Saint’s education is when I went to UVA. I transitioned rather seamlessly, while many of my friends found it very challenging. When I walked into Psych 101, I already knew a lot of the material. That foundation of academic confidence infused my entire experience and opened doors down the road.

I can’t say enough about the SSSAS family and alumni network. While working in D.C., I joined the Legal and Public Policy Group—Saints parents and alumni who are attorneys on Capitol Hill—who generously share their insight and support. And there is a Boston area alumni group that meets periodically, which feels familiar—like home. It’s great to know that should anything happen, should I need something, or should I just want to hang out, they are there.

Q. What was it like living on the Lawn?

A. Living on the Lawn is quite an honor. It’s a very peculiar experience, but for me it relates to many different things. I consider myself to be very fortunate. Many black Americans in this country are not able to trace their lineage. But my family’s heritage has been traced to a small plantation outside of Fork Union, Va., very close to Charlottesville. Historically, my ancestors would not have had the opportunity to attend UVA, whereas the descendants of plantation owners did attend UVA. So, 200 years later, being the first member of my family to walk across the stage at UVA was incredibly meaningful and connects directly to an experience like living on the Lawn.

Living on the Lawn is basically like living in a public park. Tourists and prospective students just stop by, presenting the opportunity for a lot of different conversations and a chance to highlight how phenomenal UVA is. I love UVA and all that it represents. I love the school because it is emblematic of so many people’s perseverance. It’s emblematic of the best and worst that our nation has to offer. It’s emblematic of striving to fulfill the promise that set forth that all men are created equal and we should all be able to access a high-quality, public-school education at a university like UVA. I didn’t know that living on the Lawn would mean as much to me as it has.

Q. After graduating, you had a wide range of work experiences from the D.C. court of Appeals to Capitol Hill to Covington and Burling. What have those chapters taught you?

A. Interning for Judge Howard at the D.C. Court of Appeals was an eye-opening experience—being in a judge’s chamber and seeing first-hand how the court worked. I was also a paralegal, which gave me an inside look at working in a big law firm, something I will most likely do after law school.

Then I hoped to work on Capitol Hill and was fortunate to land a position with my hometown member of Congress. I learned a lot of lessons through that job. One is to take ownership in charting your own career. There’s no one way to do anything, but if you want an experience you have to speak up for yourself to make it happen. In the beginning, my job with Congresswoman Spanberger was working out of her district office doing constituent services. I really enjoyed that position, but with law school on the horizon I also hoped to gain more legislative and policy-oriented experience as well. Having the confidence to make that known was important and I was eventually able to move into a more policy-oriented role. 

Another lesson I learned is the importance of being willing to do the small things—and doing them well. Honestly, I wasn’t doing any of the more glorious types of work in any of those roles. I was doing the small things. But by doing the small things well, I was able to gain trust, move up and do a little more of the work I wanted to do.

Left photo by Erin Edgerton: Dom with UVA Dean Michael Gerard Mason after receiving the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. Right photo: Dom with Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.

Q. Did you enter Harvard with a particular area of law in mind?

A. I came in knowing broadly what I was interested in. Constitutional Law has been my favorite course by far, and I suspected it would be. Many of the issues we cover are in the news today, but they’re always talked about. They’re foundational in a way that makes them always salient. At the end of the day, they are constitutional law questions, or their foundation is rooted in constitutional law. Based on some of my experiences, I knew I wanted to explore Harvard’s robust election law. I’m also interested in the private sector and corporate law. Next semester, I’m slated to take part in the transactional law clinic, which I’m very excited about. That will enable me to help small business and nonprofit owners think about the way they run their businesses, draft their contracts, and negotiate with other businesses and other nonprofits. It also relates to the public policy work that I was doing, because one of my portfolio areas with Congresswoman Spanberger was small business.

Q. Once again, you are deeply engaged in public service, leadership, and advocacy at Harvard. Can you talk a little bit about your activities outside the classroom?

A. I just can’t help getting involved, because for me, community is so foundational. You cannot do this journey on your own. There’s an old African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone, and if you want to go far, go together.” I started off at the Harvard Black Law Student Association, where I was co-chair of our 1L committee. That that was always going to be important, but with the drastic changes that have occurred via admissions and other policies, our class of black students has significantly diminished. In light of that, it was especially important for us to come together and help provide community and support for one another. I was recently elected to be our external vice president, with a whole different set of roles and responsibilities.

I also love being an admissions fellow, talking with prospective and admitted students about what it means to be a Harvard Law student. This place can seem big and grandiose. You see it in the movies and on the news, so people question if this is the place for them. I appreciate being in a position to let them know this absolutely is the place for them. There truly is no one type of Harvard Law student, and that’s what makes this place special. Maybe I can give them the confidence that was instilled in me by my mentors and other advisors.

I take part in Harvard’s bipartisan Journal on Legislation as a Congress editor, which basically means that I work with members of Congress, both House and Senate, to solicit pieces. We aim to publish scholarship from both sides of the aisle, which I believe is also an aspect of community building—publishing pieces across the political spectrum highlighting the different ways that members approach the same problem. I think that speaks to bridging the polarization that currently exists. All of the different aspects of the work that I’m doing across these organizations is fundamentally about bringing people together.

Q. How do you stay grounded or recharge amid all the demands of law school?

A. Lots of coffee and caffeine. It’s quite rigorous and I think the most important thing to remember is your “why.”  Why are you here? One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was to reread that great personal statement you wrote that made the admissions office say, “yes, we want you here,” and keep it readily accessible so when it gets tough, you can remind yourself why you’re doing this. When I think about the way we see the law being used today and historically—both positively and negatively—I know that my role is to become as educated and equipped as possible in order to take part in that process and hopefully shape the law in a way that benefits and provides positive outcomes for my communities.

Q. What would you say to the next generation of change makers, who want to lead and serve and make a difference?

A. A few things. As I’ve already mentioned, do the small things. When I worked for Congresswoman Spanberger I was asked to be the first person there to open the office, set the newspapers out, and answer the phone. You can’t skip that step on your path to doing more. You need to do them and do them well. If you approach your work from the standpoint of nothing being beneath you, then someday you’ll get to the point where nothing is above you. If more students approach their work and their service with that mindset, it will take them to the places they want to go. Remember your why. What’s your why for service? Why do you want to serve?

Q. What’s next for you after Harvard?

A. I have two answers to that and the first is that I’m not sure exactly what will be next. But I’m quite sure that service will be involved in some way. I know that I want to be in a role where I feel like I’m making a difference, where I’m interacting with people on a daily basis, and moving the needle on issues that really matter both to me and the communities that I come from. There’s a good quote from former President Obama on this. He was talking to his White House interns and he said, “Worry less about what you want to be, and think more about what you want to do.” I want to make a difference.