Returning Home to Serve: Dr. Hailey Champion Caudill

Hailey Champion Caudill attended the June Buchanan School for grade school and much of high school before enrolling at Alice Lloyd College, where she graduated in 2019. She majored in biology pre-med and minored in chemistry.

After graduating, Hailey was accepted into the Caney Scholars Program (now the Gatton-Winston Scholars Program) and went on to further her education, graduating from the Kentucky College of Optometry and completing her residency in Ocular Disease at Huffman and Huffman in London, Kentucky. She has since returned to the community that helped shape her. In Knott County, Kentucky, Hailey now serves the region as an optometrist at Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation’s Hindman location.

While at ALC, Hailey was a member of the Allied Health Club, the Student Rural Health Association, and the Student Government Association. She fondly recalls Chicken Patty Friday and loved being greeted by Miss Irma every time she visited the bookstore.

“It was during my time at ALC that I discovered my calling to return home to serve, and it became my dream to open a practice in my hometown. The Purpose Road Philosophy teaches us to put God first, set clear goals, and work hard to achieve them.”

Hailey exemplifies Mrs. Lloyd’s mission of “home-growing” servant leaders and health professionals for the region. She feels strongly about serving her community as a way of saying “thank you” to the people who supported her—the mentors who believed in her, the community that cheered her on, and the place that made her who she is.

Hailey credits Alice Lloyd College with preparing her for graduate school and her professional career. “ALC students are blessed with outstanding faculty and staff,” she says. As a biology major, she learned from professors like Dr. Janelle Pryor and Dr. Paul Yeary, and during optometry school, she gained a deeper appreciation for how well ALC classes had prepared her to further her education.

She also highlights the College’s Student Work Program as an important part of her growth. By applying for additional work hours—sometimes up to 20 per week per semester—she developed a strong work ethic and learned to manage her time between “studying for rigorous classes and working all week.” During her junior and senior years, Hailey worked in the Career Services Department—a role she describes as “so much more than being the ‘fashion police’ during Convocation Tuesdays.” In this position, she gained invaluable skills, from writing CVs to organizing events and honing her networking abilities.

Reflecting on her experience at ALC, Hailey says, “I was able to receive an affordable, high-quality education, all while staying close to home. I was also blessed to be a Caney Scholar, so ALC continued to help me financially through graduate school. There is no way to put into words how thankful I am for ALC and how it has changed my life.”

Hailey continues to support the College’s mission and offers advice to future generations of students walking the Purpose Road: cherish Chicken Patty Friday, thank the faculty and staff who help you succeed, and always seek guidance and peace through prayer to Almighty God.

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