Jamaican-Born Graduate and Orlando resident, Dr. Trisha Bailey, Makes Largest Athletic Donation to UConn in Its History

Cont'd from page 1 gift and having a building with her name on it. The donation acknowledges how UConn took a chance on her, seeing talents she did not know she had, and believing that she wouldtakeadvantageofanyopportunitiesgiventoher.

The new Bailey Student Athlete Success Center, a training and academic support facility comprising 80,000 square feet, will be home to six Olympic sports programs. It will house the men’s and women’s track and field and cross-country programs; women’s rowing, swimming, and diving programs; and women’s tennis and field hockey programs. The Bailey Center will also provide space for offices, academics, mental health, nutrition, strength and conditioning activities, and locker rooms, among other amenities. Construction of the new facility is slated to begin inthefallof2023.

Bailey, 45, was raised in Jamaica in a home without electricity or running water. She walked seven miles to school every day. She moved with her family to Hartford when she was 13 for a better life. They lived in a onebedroom apartment, but she was thrilled to have electricity andindoorplumbing.“Iwasinluxuryland,”shesaid.

She graduated from UConn in 1999 with a degree in human development and family relations. After graduation, she worked as a stockbroker in Hartford and started a recruiting firm. She earned an MBA and Ph.D. in management and organizational leadership with a concentration in finance from the University of Phoenix. Bailey also holds a pulmonary certificate from the University of Kentucky and a certificate in cardiology treatment from New York University.

She now lives in Orlando, Florida, and her company, Bailey’s Medical Equipment and Supplies, now includes Bailey’s Pharmacies, which has operations in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee,andTexas.

In Orlando her support of the mentoring organization, United Foundation of Central Florida is not just monetary, she is someone that the kids in the program know. She believes that those kids share the same story and can have the same success with support.

Bailey has five children and is on her way to being a billionaire, having become a millionaire by the time she was 35. Bailey made her fortune chiefly in the medical equipment industry before expanding into domestic and international commercial real estate.She is one of the wealthiest Black women in the United States and is a global leader in the medical equipment industry. She is the richest woman in the history of Jamaica, which she thinks is “pretty cool.” She is looking to do more in Jamaica now and owns part of an island off Jamaica’s coast where she is building a resort She was the first Black woman to own commercial properties in Florida’s Vero Beach and Edgewood and also owns the biggest equestrian farm in the state.

Her autobiography, “Unbroken,” will be released in the summer of 2023. In the book, she tells the story of her life and how she overcame numerous struggles to achieve success While we didn't get all of the stories, she does share some of the secrets behind her approach to life, in a video interview with our team.

Go to our website at: www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com for the full interview.