BRDG Bridge to Connect

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

First-generation and under-represented college students often navigate higher education without a roadmap, professional network, or family guidance. While university education builds technical knowledge, it rarely provides the cross-disciplinary teamwork and industry exposure needed to transition smoothly into the workforce.

BRDG Bridge to Connect was created to close this gap. Unlike traditional academic programs that focus on theory within a single institution and discipline, BRDG brings together students from multiple universities and fields, including engineering, computer science, natural science, social science and business to work in multidisciplinary teams. Unlike traditional coursework, this experience mirrors a real workplace where students must integrate different perspectives, skills, and problem-solving approaches.

At the center of the program is the BRDG Innovation Challenge, where teams are given a $3,500 budget to design solutions to real challenges, often in sustainability. Unlike classroom projects, students operate in a simulated professional environment with deadlines, budgets, accountability, and cross-functional teamwork. Students also collaborate directly with industry coaches and subject matter experts who guide them through real-world problem solving.

This experience bridges the gap between education and industry, transforming students from learners into professionals ready to contribute, lead, and thrive in their careers.

The BRDG Innovation Challenge transforms the college experience by giving first-generation STEM students what they often lack: real-world experience, industry connections, and the confidence to succeed in the workforce. Through hands-on, multidisciplinary projects, students apply classroom knowledge to solve real problems while developing critical skills in communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, project management, and decision-making.

With guidance from industry coaches and subject-matter experts, students learn to navigate deadlines, budgets, competing perspectives, and challenges; experiencing what it means to operate in a professional environment. The experience builds not only career readiness, but also confidence, resilience, accountability, and a sense of belonging.

Students leave with stronger resumes, practical examples to share in interviews, professional relationships, and a clearer understanding of their value. More than a competition, BRDG is a real-world workforce experience; a bridge that helps students move from classroom potential to professional opportunity, prepared to contribute, lead, and innovate.

Click here for direct quotes from our students:
https://www.bridge-to-connect.org/impact

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