Meet Bailey Hutcheson, ASPSF 2026 Distinguished Alumna

ASPSF CEO Jenn Morehead (left) congratulates Bailey Hutcheson as ASPSF’s 2026 Distinguished Alumna at A Day of Hope on Sept. 18 in Little Rock.

For Bailey Hutchison, an Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) scholarship helped change what was possible for her family. Today, she is helping other students pursue that same opportunity.

Bailey returned to college as a single mom, determined to earn a degree, build a better life for her family, and set an example for her children. As an ASPSF scholarship recipient, she received financial support that helped her stay on the path to a college degree.

Today, Bailey serves as director of the Career Pathways program at ASU-Mountain Home, where she helps students navigate their educational and career goals. She also continues to give back to ASPSF by volunteering with scholarship interviews, application reviews, and award ceremonies.

In recognition of her continued commitment to students and the ASPSF community, Bailey was named the organization’s 2026 Distinguished Alumna. She was honored during ASPSF’s A Day of Hope luncheon on September 18, 2026.

In this interview, Bailey reflects on becoming an ASPSF scholarship recipient, returning to school as a single parent, and why she continues to volunteer and give back to help future single parent students succeed.

Home:
Baxter County

Job Title:
Director of Career Pathways, ASU-Mountain Home

Education:
Associate degree, 2023
Bachelor’s degree, 2026

Hi, my name is Bailey Hutchison, and I am an alumna of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund. I am the director of the Career Pathways program here at ASU Mountain Home.

I love my job because I get to help students the way that I was helped. I get to give back what was given to me.

I was very scared going back to school. I was a nontraditional student. I was a mom, a single mom. I was in a dead-end job. I wanted to be able to provide more for my family. My son’s day care was very expensive.

I wanted a better life. I did not want to be a poverty single mom anymore. I wanted a better life for me. I wanted to set the example for my children. I knew that there would be positive changes on the other end of the degree.

The Single Parent Scholarship Fund invested in me and my family and my future, and I want to see it go further into the future to help other students.

So, for volunteering, we do interviews, we do application review. Being in the Career Pathways department, I walk a lot of our students through the application process, and that’s really helpful for them.

I also do the award ceremonies and help give out the certificates and speak and just walk students through that process as well.

I supported Day of Giving because it’s a passion of mine. My heart is in this because I know what it’s like to be a single parent going to school, and I just want to make sure that the money keeps rolling in for future students. And I thought it would be a great opportunity.

I know that there are many people in my circle and in my network who saw the impact that it made in my life and would be willing to give to make sure that they could impact somebody else’s life in the same way.

I think it’s an amazing organization, and I’m so honored to get to be a part of it.