#PeopleOfWilmDE: Bailey Willems

24 year old Chemourian Bailey Willems moved to Wilmington Delaware from South Dakota two years ago, and has fallen in love with the city. This is her story.

“I was born and raised in a small town in South Dakota, but for as long as I can remember, I dreamed of moving to the east coast. I loved the idea of traveling all over and living in the excitement of a city. When I was 18, my dad and I packed my car as full as we could and began the two-day trip to Maryland. I attended Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, which instantly felt like home. I had many different jobs in college, ranging from working on a dairy farm to working in the President’s Office, all of which amplified my passions for business and people. Going into my senior year, I found out about an internship at the Chemours Company in Wilmington. At that moment I had no idea what an opportunity that would turn into. After interning for a year in product marketing, I graduated from Washington College, and started a full-time role at Chemours in Human Resources. I didn’t know a lot about Wilmington before moving to the area, but since living here and becoming more involved in the community I have realized how special of a city it is.

Wilmington is everything I could want in a city. Living in Trolley Square, I can feel the community bond like the one in my hometown, but I still have the opportunities and attractions a city has to offer. People in Wilmington are so warm and welcoming, I immediately felt at home here.

I have met so many lifelong friends since moving to Wilmington, and I will always be thankful for this. I leased my first apartment at Parq at the Square, which is an amazing place to live.

Everyone is so friendly here, and I have met other tenants who have now become friends to explore Wilmington with. It was really exciting (and a little nerve racking) moving to a city I didn’t know many people to start my post-college life, but now it’s hard to imagine Wilmington not being my home.

At Chemours, we have been working remote since March, which initially was a little difficult as I am a very extroverted person. But through the pandemic I think a lot of us have managed to find creative ways to continue building relationships and maintaining old ones. When the pandemic first began, it was very eerie walking through Trolley Square and not seeing a lot of people or businesses open. I am glad more businesses are opening up again in a safe manner, but my heart goes out to the locally owned businesses in my neighborhood that are struggling to recover.

I am really looking forward to the sense of community growing even stronger. It has been great to see the amount of support generated for our front-line workers and those who have lost their jobs, I hope we don’t lose this momentum and continue uplifting everyone in our community. The United Way of Delaware and other organizations are doing amazing work in our city, and I hope even more People of Wilmington become engaged and passionate about supporting our community.”

Know of another Wilmingtonian that needs to be featured for our weekly #PeopleOfWilm feature? Tag them with #ItsTimeWilmDE or tag THEM in the comments.