When Christopher Bailey was elected the 76th Student Government Association (SGA) president for the 2025\u201326 academic year, he made history\u2014not just for himself, but for the University of Memphis. Nearly 30 years earlier, his father, Andrew \u201cDrew\u201d Bailey, served as UofM\u2019s 49th SGA president. Together, they\u2019re the first father-son duo to ever lead the student body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt makes me proud,\u201d Drew said. \u201cHe\u2019s cementing my legacy. I did my part\u2014but now I\u2019m stepping into his shadow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drew\u2019s legacy includes being named the 2015 Distinguished Young Alumnus, serving on the University Alumni Association board, and launching impactful campus initiatives like Project Unite, the Freshman Senate, and the Frosh Camp funding model\u2014many of which still exist today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Christopher is focused on building something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now a senior studying business economics, Christopher leads with a servant-leader mindset. \u201cBeing a leader is as simple as serving others,\u201d he said. His goals include strengthening student connections through orientation, campus events like Spring Fest, and bringing back school spirit around athletics. He also plans to launch a President\u2019s Council to unite student group leaders and expand collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christopher is no stranger to involvement\u2014he\u2019s a member of Empowered Men of Color, the Black Student Association, and the Memphis Institute for Leadership Education, and has served as both a Frosh Camp Counselor and Orientation Guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want every student to feel like they have the same doors open to them as the SGA president,\u201d he said. \u201cThis should be a unified experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Baileys, this isn\u2019t just a family legacy\u2014it\u2019s a powerful reflection of community, leadership, and passing the torch to a new generation of changemakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Chris\u2019 turn to lead,\u201d Drew said. \u201cAnd I couldn\u2019t be more proud.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Christopher Bailey was elected the 76th Student Government Association (SGA) president for the 2025\u201326 academic year, he made history\u2014not just for himself, but for the University of Memphis. Nearly 30 years earlier, his father, Andrew \u201cDrew\u201d Bailey, served as UofM\u2019s 49th SGA president. Together, they\u2019re the first father-son duo to ever lead the student…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":30834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[5727,5729],"class_list":["post-30833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-memphian-stories","tag-black-legacy","tag-profile"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n