As we are nearing the end of 2024, the HGB Foundation continues to stay busy! 

In the South Bronx, BridgeUP + Out hosted their first career panel for this academic year! The purpose of the panel was to educate and empower Scholars with real life examples of successful members within their community, learn about their journey and the different pathways taken to become successful. The program acknowledges that everyone’s pathway looks different and that it’s never too early or too late to envision and set a course for where we want to be. Panelists included Dora Moreira, Erin Maher, Kristen Irby, Stephania Mendez, and Alonzo Paulino Jr. The students were provided with a diverse array of industry knowledge, giving them a vast horizon to envision their futures! Turn-out was amazing, we are thrilled by the continuing success of these career panels, and are looking forward to seeing them continue.

Towards the beginning of the month, the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation team took a trip to visit a couple of the programs within our Empowering Youth vertical. 

First, we traveled to Tennessee to visit our BridgeUP: GiddyUP program for its third annual Spectacular. The event highlighted the incredible progress our students have made over the past year. With tandem showjumping, intricate choreography, and more, the audience was left in awe.  Though the students felt a mix of excitement and nerves leading up to their showcase, they blew everyone away. The level of control and confidence the riders demonstrated while on horseback is truly remarkable. The Spectacular was complete with an Elvis tribute artist, Jazz ensemble, and dance troop. It was a memorable event for the entire community. The program has done a fantastic job of engaging the surrounding area to become involved in events like these. We are always impressed by the dedication of both the riders and staff. We look forward to next year’s showcase! 

Next, we traveled to Atlanta where the team had the opportunity to observe our BridgeUP: STEM program at Georgia Tech. We began by attending an afterschool session led by Dr. Kexin Rong, with support from undergraduate Helen Fellows. The lesson focused on clustering, and students engaged in interactive activities to grasp key coding concepts. The students were engaged and helping one another learn, which is exactly why we designed the program as is. We also had the privilege of meeting the Helen Fellows, all undergraduate students at Georgia Tech, as well as the Faculty Mentors from the School of Computing. The Fellows have created a small cohort amongst themselves, where they can use one another as resources, as well as plan mentoring methods for the high school students. We are so amazed by the Scholars’ enthusiasm and commitment to learning. As always, it was a rewarding and inspiring visit.

While in Atlanta, we also got the chance to attend HearstLab Pitch: Atlanta! BridgeUP Scholars and Alum in the area were able to attend and learn about entrepreneurial endeavors. With 5 different pitches from amazing women-led companies, two walked away with a check for $100k! Congratulations to Zinneia and Croux on their win, we look forward to seeing their future growth and success. And congratulations to HearstLab for their 10th pitch competition!

BOLD Scholars from Rutgers University-Newark participated in a speed mentoring virtual event. From California to Atlanta and across the country, Scholars were able to engage with influential women in leadership positions. The event proved to be both inspirational and motivational, leaving attendees feeling empowered and equipped with a renewed sense of confidence and direction in their professional journeys. Scholars also spent time this month campaigning to raise awareness about food insecurity within their communities. They informed students about the resources available on the RU-N Campus, such as the Rutgers-Newark Pantry, Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, free Monthly Farmers Markets, and the steps to apply for SNAP benefits. 

Additionally, Stacey L., a senior Scholar, was selected as a founding member of the FirstGen Society at the Rutgers School of Nursing. This inaugural organization will help to foster a supportive community for current and future first-generation students. We love to see participants involved in initiatives like this. Trailblazing work, Stacey! 

 Within our Empowering Innovation vertical, the Brown Institute for Media Innovation is offering a new workshop! Points Unknown, a workshop designed for journalism students, is a four-week series that introduces students to spatial investigative and visualization techniques. News unfolds in places and every newsworthy event is shaped by the details of location. Those details might include the specifics of a neighborhood as it is today or of the history leading to its current configurations. Alongside the development of web technologies, journalistic organizations have incorporated web-based maps to enhance reader engagement with stories. But these interactions haven’t always been easy to produce. Points Unknown will train journalism students in GIS and mapping techniques to analyze and visualize spatial information. The workshop will take place every Wednesday in February and will allow participants to recognize and visualize geographical patterns that often play a vital role in news reporting.

Tune in next month for our final monthly update of 2024!