Salem Reporter is publishing profiles about one graduating senior from each Salem-Keizer School District high school for its Class of 2026 series. The seniors were selected by their teachers, coaches and advisors for exceptional leadership and perseverance. See the other profiles here. 

Kiara Bailey learned she was pregnant two weeks after she and her family moved to Salem from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She was just a few weeks away from turning 14.

On top of the culture shock of moving to a small city, her family hadn’t had the time to find a regular doctor, and didn’t have a car. But their new home happened to be around the corner from Roberts High School, which has a Teen Parent Program, onsite childcare and staff that help young parents navigate local services.

Bailey enrolled herself. Her decision changed the school, and the Early College High School that shares its building, for the better.

Brent Adams, Bailey’s teacher, described her as “by far one of the most iconic students we’ve ever had.”

Not only student of the year, Adams said Bailey is the student of the decade.

“I cannot even fathom, in my 13 years, a student that has done more for a school climate than her. Especially for these girls that are so disadvantaged,” Adams said.

Before Bailey’s arrival, Adams said he and his colleagues were contending with a school divided by social and economic lines.

The Salem-Keizer School District had recently brought several alternative high school programs into one building on the Chemeketa Community College Campus. Teen parents, students seeking GEDs and students needing additional classroom support were sharing the halls and some classes with students in the Early College High School program, where students earn an associates degree while in high school.

In a word, it was cliquey.

Most Roberts students didn’t participate in shared extracurriculars, like student government. The programs didn’t hang out together, with students unable to see what they had in common with each other.

The programs’ move was still fresh when Bailey arrived. She was quiet, and stressed. Getting good grades was always important to her, and she wanted to make the most of the programs that first drew her to Roberts. 

“I was also talking to my teachers, like, ‘Oh, how do I not fall behind, how does maternity leave work?’” Bailey said. “Because they say a bunch of things when you first come into school, but I wanted to make sure they uphold what they were talking about.”

Her son, Kaizen, was born at the end of her freshman year. She said it was a rocky time for her.

“It was really bad, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I hope I don’t fall behind, I hope I don’t like graduate late,’ … not too many freshmen are thinking like that, but I also was like, ‘I need to make sure my baby’s taken care of, I need to make sure he’s hitting his milestones and make sure he’s eating,’ and it was a lot going on,” Bailey said.

The childcare providers on campus eased her mind, letting her know Kaizen was hitting all the right milestones and socializing with his peers. Staff helped Bailey connect with programs like Family Building Blocks, and get baby supplies like clothes and a stroller. The support extended to the rest of Bailey’s home, including getting her mom clothes to wear to job interviews.

She spent the summer before her sophomore year catching up on classes, doing summer school and getting into the routine of parenting while attending high school.

“I’ve just been taking it one day at a time with him, and realizing that it really does take a village. Even my teachers who don’t have kids come in and help. They are like, ‘Oh my god, let me hold him while you fix yourself, you take a breath,’” Bailey said.

Despite the pressure, she went the extra step for her peers. Her teachers, including Adams, took notice of her ability to build bridges. It started as a freshman, when Bailey would speak up to remind other students that school was hard enough without added social drama.

She could also connect with other teen parents who struggled with classes by meeting them at their level, easing frustrations between students and teachers.

“Things like, ‘Oh, you don’t understand this, and the way the teachers are saying it. They’re getting frustrated, too. Let’s slow it down, and let’s see what we have, and let’s connect it to something you do on the daily,’” Bailey said. “Like, for math, so many of these girls struggle, but they use it every day with their babies, making bottles or doing nap time and awake windows, and trying to calculate what size clothes they’re going to be wearing at Christmas time.”

Because of that, when Bailey joined the student council at the end of her freshman year, Adams encouraged her to take on a leadership role.

“She is above and beyond so many, just a beacon of light but also knowledge,” Adams said. “Just the way she was explaining math in a way that her peers could understand. She wasn’t just regurgitating what was told to her, she’s actually internalizing it and delivering it to them.”

At the beginning, she was one of only a few Roberts students participating in the student council, which was mostly made up of early college students.

“I literally had to step up to the plate. I was like, ‘I’m going to be the bigger person, I’m going to take on this,’” Bailey said.

She became the vice president her sophomore year, and served as the president both junior and senior year.

She made her voice heard, and prioritized bridging the social and academic gaps between the schools.

Bailey put in the work to build a shared community, encouraging participation in prom, spirit weeks, volleyball tournaments and volunteer opportunities. As the inaugural president of the school’s National Honor Society, she organized blood drives and food drives.

She went the extra mile, getting her peers excited about gaining experience to use for college applications. If students were unsure about participating in events, she’d find a way to include them in planning, or make sure their favorite teacher would be there for support. If childcare or transportation issues prevented them from coming, she’d find options for them.

Now, Adams sees friend groups combining students from different programs. He said the stigma toward the students at Roberts has lessened, now that other students have gotten to know them.

“They’re like, ‘Oh, these are kids just like us. They have wants and needs, interests that are similar to mine, and now I can converse with them and talk to them,’” Adams said. “And she helped to really pull the kids to the table, so we could have those conversations.”

Looking back, Bailey said she’s proud of all her accomplishments.

Her son Kaizen is now a “goofy and spunky” toddler, she said. He says “Hello!” to everyone he comes across, and sees himself as Spider-Man or Batman, depending on the day.

“He also is compassionate,” Bailey said. “If he’s playing with his friends and one of the kids fall, he’ll fall with them, and then help them get up, it’s just the cutest thing ever.”

Outside of school, Bailey said she likes to visit her cousins in Portland, and her friend A’drianna White, who graduated from the Teen Parent Program last year. She’s involved in the Young Life program, which helped her get a YMCA membership and get involved in summer camps that let her feel like a kid, while involving Kaizen. Some of her favorite pastimes are braiding hair and going to local restaurants.

She’ll be attending Western Oregon University in the fall, where she plans to study pre-nursing before transferring to Oregon Health and Science University.

She’s wanted to work in healthcare since she was a kid, because her mom worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She considered being a doctor, but when she was recovering from childbirth at the hospital, she said the nurses made all the difference by checking on her every hour.

Bailey said service is important to her, whether it be volunteering, nursing or helping a classmate feel seen.

“If I give acts of service to other people, maybe they’ll do it to someone who needs it. Maybe it’ll just brighten up their day,” she said.

Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.

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