Tiana Bailey

Tiana Bailey is a second year college student majoring in Theatre Arts.  At the age of 12 years old, Tiana was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome (TS), a rare condition experienced by girls.  Most girls with TS are diagnosed in the womb or at birth.  However, less than 2% of these girls make it to birth and are referred to as “butterflies”.  After discovering that less than 1% of this population were girls of color, Tiana developed a passion to found an organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and creating safe, creative spaces for girls living with Turner Syndrome. This led her to begin Black, Beauty, and Butterflies, an organization dedicated to educating the community about TS, its stigmas, and providing creative spaces to develop self-esteem and other life skills.

 

To date, Tiana has participated on various panels in both Connecticut and Massachusetts discussing topics such as “Navigating College with Disabilities” and “Learning to Love the Person Within.” Additionally, you can find Tiana at numerous community events providing informational tables on Turner Syndrome.  Within the 4 years of founding Black, Beauty and Butterflies, she has hosted 3 Walk for Turner Syndrome Awareness where she has raised funds to provide scholarships for girls living with Turner Syndrome.

 

Most recently, Tiana was the recipient of the Black Girls Achieve award in Connecticut and received an award from the Greater Hartford NAACP for her unwavering work in the community.  Tiana’s future goals include creating a performing arts center where youth are welcome despite their disabilities, ultimately creating a safe to find their “voice”.