BRDG Bridge to Connect

We create a bridge to success by enhancing first-in-family college students’ opportunities in the technology field.

Imagine being the first in your family to attend college; navigating unfamiliar systems, balancing academic demands, and preparing for a career without a roadmap or professional network. For many first-generation college students pursuing STEM degrees, this is their reality. While they may have the academic ability and determination to succeed, they often lack access to the mentors, industry connections, and real-world experiences that help students transition successfully from college to the workforce.

These gaps can have lasting consequences. Without guidance and exposure to industry, first-generation students may enter the workforce without fully understanding their value or the opportunities available to them. Many receive their first job at salaries significantly below market value, potentially costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost earnings over the course of their careers.

BRDG Bridge to Connect was created to change this trajectory. At the heart of BRDG’s mission is the belief that a student’s future should not be determined by whether their family already knows how to navigate college and the professional world. BRDG provides first-generation STEM students with mentorship, career preparation, professional development, and direct exposure to industry professionals.

The BRDG Innovation Challenge brings this mission to life through an immersive, multidisciplinary, multi-institution project-based experience designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and the workplace. Equipped with $3500 per team, students from engineering, computer science, and other STEM and Business disciplines collaborate within diverse teams to address real-world challenges, particularly those related to environmental sustainability. These teams compete with each other to propose the most compelling solution to their chosen challenge area. They move beyond learning concepts in the classroom to applying their technical knowledge to analyze problems, develop solutions, manage projects, and communicate their ideas to industry professionals.

What makes the BRDG Innovation Challenge distinctive is its emphasis on learning by doing, learning from peers and industry professionals, and the support to develop working prototypes of proposed solutions. Students work alongside peers with different academic backgrounds and levels of experience, creating opportunities for collaboration, peer-to-peer learning, and leadership. Industry coaches and subject-matter experts provide guidance throughout the process, exposing students to the expectations, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving approaches they will encounter in the professional world.

The program mirrors the dynamics of a real workplace; from forming teams and defining a problem to developing a solution, managing competing ideas, resolving conflicts, meeting deadlines, and ultimately presenting the solution to industry judges. Students develop not only technical skills, but also the communication, leadership, teamwork, project management, budget management, and public speaking competencies plus the confidence needed to succeed in their careers.

Ultimately, the BRDG Innovation Challenge is more than a student competition. It is a bridge from potential to opportunity. By giving first-generation STEM students access to experiences and professional relationships that are often available to students through family networks, BRDG helps to prepare the next generation of engineers, technologists, and innovators to enter the workforce with the skills, confidence, and connections to thrive.

The BRDG Innovation Challenge transforms the college experience for participating students by giving them something they often lack: the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in a real-world environment, work alongside industry professionals, and build the confidence, professional skills and network needed to succeed in the workforce.

The impact begins with career readiness. Through a multidisciplinary, hands-on project experience, students develop and demonstrate skills that employers value, including communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, project management, and the ability to make decisions under real-world constraints. Students learn not only how to develop a solution, but how to explain, defend, and present their ideas with professionalism.

The BRDG Innovation Challenge also creates significant personal growth. Students learn to manage responsibilities, navigate differing perspectives, resolve conflicts, meet deadlines, and adapt when their initial ideas do not work. This experience builds confidence, resilience, and a professional mindset that extends well beyond the program.

A critical component of the Innovation Challenge is coaching and mentorship. Experienced industry coaches, subject-matter experts, and volunteers provide guidance throughout the project, giving students access to professional knowledge and networks that students may not otherwise have. For many participants, these relationships become an important source of encouragement, perspective, and career guidance.

The program also creates a strong community of belonging. Students from diverse academic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds work together toward a common goal. Through collaboration and peer-to-peer learning, students discover that they have valuable knowledge and perspectives to contribute. The result is an environment where students feel seen, supported, and empowered to see themselves as future professionals and leaders.

The benefits continue after the Challenge. Participants have reported using their experience to strengthen their resumes, prepare for interviews, connect with recruiters, and communicate their value more effectively. The Innovation Challenge gives students concrete examples of what they have accomplished, allowing them to move beyond saying, “I learned this in class,” to demonstrating, “I applied this skill to solve a real problem.”

Feedback from the previous BRDG Innovation Challenge participants reinforced the program's impact. Students consistently described meaningful growth in professional skills, personal accountability, confidence, and career readiness. They recognized the value of working under real-world expectations and credited their coaches and mentors with helping them grow both personally and professionally. Professionals involved in the program likewise recognized the Innovation Challenge as a distinctive model for preparing first-generation students for meaningful careers.

Ultimately, the BRDG Innovation Challenge is more than a project competition; it is a real-world workforce experience disguised as a learning opportunity. Think of BRDG as the AA Baseball camp for the workforce: students step onto the field and experience what it is really like to operate as a professional, with real deadlines, budgets, teamwork, accountability, coaching, problem-solving, and the pressure to deliver results.

By the end of the Challenge, students have done more than complete a project; they have experienced their first real job. They leave with greater confidence, a network of industry connections, and a much clearer understanding of what it takes to succeed in the workplace. BRDG prepares them to step from the classroom onto the professional field ready to play, contribute, and innovate.

BRDG Innovation Challenge helps first-generation STEM students by connecting them with industry professionals, mentors, and career guidance. Students build professional networks while learning the essential workplace dos and don’ts; how to communicate, build relationships, present themselves, navigate workplace expectations, and pursue career opportunities.

The need for this experience is growing. In 2026, 56 students are participating across eight Innovation Challenge teams, and we are seeing an increasing demand to expand the program to reach more students and universities. Our goal is to increase participation by at least 30% each year. To achieve this responsibly, BRDG must strengthen the infrastructure and capabilities behind the program - to allow it to scale effectively.

An $80,000 investment will allow BRDG to build the capacity necessary for sustainable growth. Funding will strengthen program operations, student recruitment, industry and university partnerships, coach and volunteer support, training resources, project budget allocations, and the tools needed to maintain a high-quality professional and personal development experience as participation increases.

Scaling the Innovation Challenge also creates an opportunity to build a stronger STEM talent pipeline. BRDG seeks to develop connections that follow students from high school through college and ultimately into the workforce, creating a community where students, educators, industry professionals, and mentors can learn from and support one another.

Equally important, growth must not come at the expense of quality or personal connection. BRDG is committed to capturing the knowledge and lessons learned from our coaches, mentors, and volunteers and transforming them into sustainable training materials and resources. This will enable us to provide consistent, thoughtful guidance to every student while making it easier for new volunteers and industry partners to contribute meaningfully.

The need is not simply for more seats in a program; it is for greater access to opportunity. First-generation students should not have to navigate the path from college to career alone or without the benefit of experienced personal advice or professional networks. With the right infrastructure and investment, BRDG can bring the Innovation Challenge to more students while preserving the mentorship, community, and hands-on experience that make the program transformative.

Your $80,000 investment will help us build that capacity. Together, we can scale a proven model, strengthen the next generation of STEM talent, and ensure that more students feel seen, supported, connected, and prepared to enter the workforce as confident, job-ready professionals.

BRDG will consider applications from students enrolled as STEM majors in any of the Orange County colleges and universities.

Why I Founded BRDG
My “aha” moment came when I learned that first-generation college students pursuing engineering careers can receive job offers as much as $20,000 less per year than their peers who enter the workforce with the benefit of family and professional networks. I couldn’t stop thinking about what that difference means; not just in a first paycheck, but over an entire career and across a family’s future.

Behind every statistic is a young person who has worked incredibly hard to get where they are. They may be the first in their family to attend college, the first to pursue engineering or computer science, and the first to navigate a professional world their family has never experienced. They are often figuring it out as they go without someone to call when they need career advice, an introduction to an employer, or simply reassurance that they belong.

That realization became the spark behind BRDG bridge to connect.

I founded BRDG because I believe no student’s future should be limited by the circumstances they were born into. First-generation STEM students are talented, determined, and full of promise. What they often lack is not ability, it is access. Access to mentors. Access to professional networks. Access to experiences that help them understand their value and confidently step into the workforce.

BRDG was created to help close that gap.

We are a completely volunteer-powered organization made up of 93 professionals who believe in the potential of these students and are willing to walk alongside them. We don't simply tell students what they should do; we meet them where they are, listen to them, encourage them, and help them find their own path forward.

We do this through:
- Mentorship: Weekly one-on-one relationships give students someone in their corner; someone they can turn to for guidance, encouragement, and perspective as they navigate college and prepare for their careers.
- Professional Development: Industry professionals lead workshops on communication, leadership, interviewing, financial literacy, workplace expectations, and other skills that are rarely taught in a classroom but are essential to succeeding at work.
- Financial Support: A $240-per-week stipend helps reduce the financial pressure many students face, particularly those balancing school with family responsibilities or employment.
- Internship Access: One of the most powerful moments we witness is when a student earns a paid internship in their field. It can be the first time they see themselves not simply as a student, but as a future professional and it can change the trajectory of their career.

Building Confidence Through the BRDG Innovation Challenge
To further bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace, I created the BRDG Innovation Challenge, a 20-week multidisciplinary project experience that gives students the opportunity to learn by doing.

Students from different STEM disciplines come together to tackle real-world challenges, particularly those related to sustainability. They work in teams, develop solutions, manage deadlines, navigate disagreements, learn from failure, and ultimately present their work to industry professionals.

What makes the experience especially meaningful is that first-generation students work alongside peers with different backgrounds and experiences. They learn from one another, mentor one another, and discover that their own experiences and ideas have value.

With the support of industry coaches and subject-matter experts, students experience what it feels like to work in a professional environment. They develop technical skills, but just as importantly, they learn how to communicate, collaborate, lead, make decisions, accept feedback, and advocate for their ideas.

For many students, the transformation is visible. They begin the program wondering whether they belong in the room. They finish knowing they have something valuable to contribute.

It Takes a Village
These young people inspire me. They show up with resilience, determination, and hope, even when the path ahead is unfamiliar. I have seen what happens when a student who has always had to figure things out alone finally has a community standing behind them.

They don't need someone to lower the bar. They need someone to open the door.
And once that door is open, they can do extraordinary things.

At BRDG, we believe it truly takes a village to help a student reach their full potential. That village includes mentors, coaches, educators, industry professionals, universities, donors, and advocates - all of us choosing to invest in the next generation.

I invite you to be part of that village.

Whether through funding, partnership, mentorship, or advocacy, your support can help us reach more students, strengthen the Innovation Challenge, and create more pathways from education to meaningful careers.

Together, we can build a bridge where every talented student regardless of their family background or who they know, has the opportunity to cross from potential to possibility.

Caecilia Gotama, P.E.
Founder and CEO

I’m honored to welcome you to our 2026 BRDG Igniting Potential Fundraising campaign as the new Chair of the BRDG Board of Directors, intent on continuing the leadership adeptly exercised by my predecessor, Bill Cousins.

Firstly, while we are steadfast in keeping BRDG’s focus on 1st generation college students who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at the center of all we do, we recognize that it is our donors and volunteers who make it possible for BRDG to fulfill our mission to enhance these first-in-family students' college experiences and career success. So, I thank you sincerely and deeply for your past and continued support!

Being a first-in-family college student in STEM who aspires to a career in these fields – either through a corporate role or an entrepreneurial venture – demands expertise, passion and extraordinary grit. All of us at BRDG work to provide an environment and experiences that offer equal measures of wisdom, guidance, and support.

Today, BRDG operates three programs tailored to supporting 1st-gen college students in STEM fields: our BRDG Professional Mentorship Program, a design-focused team competition known as the BRDG Innovation Challenge, and the BRDG Launchpad, a new initiative which offers qualifying teams the opportunity to advance their Innovation Challenge submission toward launching a viable start-up venture.

I’m also excited about our established and emerging partnerships, including with the 2026 SoCal TechCon conference in San Diego and FMS2026 in Santa Clara to expand awareness of BRDG and BRDG participants, and to develop additional relationships that will open up future opportunities for internships, corporate sponsorships, job placement, mentors and speakers.

Please explore all our media channels to stay updated on the impact your engagement and contributions make possible at BRDG.

Once again, I thank you for your advocacy and considered support; together, we will continue to develop our country’s next generation of STEM leaders.

John Mooney, PhD
Chair, BRDG Board of Directors