GSNNJ Media Girls in Action

Bailey Frank makes decisions in her life that are focused on making a positive change in the world. Being called a peacebuilder may seem like a lot of responsibility but she is up for the challenge. “Every time I have to make a decision I think about the value that I am adding to the world,” she says, “I think that it’s important for people to consider compassion and kindness and make the world better in every way they can.”

Bailey started her journey to become a peacebuilder in college when she studied human rights and war crimes at Georgetown University as an International Politics major. She was affected by how violence ruins people’s lives. “When I went abroad to study in Russia, I made the connection between human violence and animal violence,” she remembers. “I decided that I want to make sure that I don’t cause harm whenever possible.” She made the decision to become vegan when she visited the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. “When I went on a tour of Auschwitz I learned that a lot of what they did to the prisoners in the concentration camp was modeled after what was typically done to animals in industry farms.”

After college Bailey went to work for Teach for America (TFA), a non-profit organization that encourages future leaders to make education equal for all. Bailey taught 5th Grade math in a school in Mississippi. She explained that Mississippi is ranked 49th in the United States in education. There are a lot of educational issues there and the educational system is not very strong. “I went to teach at a school where they were trying to solve those issues. Often in Mississippi classes have 30-40 students but at the school Bailey taught in they had smaller classes. “I tried to make sure that the students in my school got an education they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.”

What did this experience teach her? “My time with TFA taught me that a lot of what I have in life is because of where I was born and that I am very lucky. While I have worked hard, a big part of the reason I have a good life and education is because of where I started.”

Duke Law School was the next step on Bailey’s peacebuilder journey. She recalls that she always knew that she liked the idea of going to law school but she wasn’t sure how that would make the world a better place. So, she started to read about animal law and learned how she could help to protect animals through the law. “It doesn’t pay a lot but it is something I am passionate about.”

This summer Bailey will be interning at the Animal Legal Defense Fund in California. She explained that she will be doing litigation which means that she will be working on lawsuits. A lot of the times when people hurt animals and get into trouble the animal needs someone to be a lawyer. For example, if a farmer abuses a cow, Bailey will be able to help figure out what will happen to the farmer that abused the cow and ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

“A lot of the time the law favors people who have money or education and everyone deserves protection. I want to be a lawyer that makes a difference and hopefully changes the law to make it better and make it fair for everyone – people and animals.” Now, that’s what I call a peacebuilder!

Q: Were you ever a Girl Scout?
A: I was a Girl Scout. I was President of my Girl Scout troop. Being a Girl Scout was a good way to learn how to be friends with a lot of different kinds of people. My Girl Scout troop included people outside of my school so it wasn’t necessarily the people I would have been friends with. Girl Scouts helped me to form a sense of community.

Q: What is your favorite cookie that you like the most?
A: Thin mints because they are vegan!