March has been a month of milestones, momentum, and magic across the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation. From Scholars stepping into professional spaces for the first time, to artists making their mark on stages across the country, there is so much to celebrate. In our Empowering Youth vertical, BridgeUP + OUT Scholars recently participated in mock career and workforce interviews at Hearst Tower, joined by incredible volunteers from the Office of General Counsel and Corporate HR. Watching Scholars surprise themselves was one of the highlights of the event. The skills they have worked so hard to develop got to shine in a real-world setting, and that made all the difference in leveling up their confidence and interviewing aptitude. We are so proud of how they showed up.

In Memphis, BridgeUP GiddyUP has been making headlines! Director McKrell Baier and elite rider Raven R. appeared live on WREG to spotlight the release of our “Future Proof” documentary, and they represented the program beautifully. On the riding front, all three seventh grade boys have graduated to riding without  coach assistance and have each completed their first jump. What a moment!

Down in Atlanta, BridgeUP STEM high school Scholars are getting into college and charting their paths forward. Based on a 2025 survey, 80% of Scholars want to study STEM in college. The Helen Fellows enjoyed a well-deserved spring break and are finalizing exciting summer plans. One Fellow, Nathan, will be interning with Amazon in California this summer. Congratulations, Nathan!

For BridgeUP Theater in the Schools, the in-school residency is just around the corner. The team has been busy collaborating with 10 participating schools on production scheduling for the spring, and the costume department has been hard at work putting together brand new shoe kits for Macbeth. We cannot wait to share more updates as rehearsals get underway!

Moving on to our Empowering Women vertical, the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network has had a remarkable month. Scholars from each institution have been busy creating and presenting their own Magic Grant pitches to the HGB panel of judges. Potential winners will be announced later this month so stay tuned!

At Colby Sawyer College, eight BOLD Scholars served as Employer Ambassadors at the College’s Annual Career Fair, and /alumnae of the program returned to engage current Scholars in a “Beyond the Degree” panel. We love seeing graduates come back and continue to pay it forward. At Ithaca College, BOLD Scholars and the broader Ithaca community came together for their annual Table Topics dinner, which this year expanded to include 48 participants including Scholars, prospective Scholars, faculty, staff, and alumnae. The conversations were rich, meaningful, and a wonderful reminder of what community looks like in action.

Across the BOLD Circle, it has been a full month across the board. At the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, BOLD Associate Artistic Director Abrianna Belvedere produced a successful Reiser Lab event, the Round 12 Pitch Party, for over 150 artists. In Houston at the Ensemble Theatre, rehearsals are underway for “Choir Boy”, directed by BOLD Associate Rachel Dickson, as “The Bluest Eye” wrapped a successful five-week run. BOLD Production Fellow Krystal Uchem is costume designing “Tiny Beautiful Things” at Stages Houston. And in Chicago, “Holiday” opened at the Goodman Theater, directed by BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley. 

At McCarter Theatre, BOLD Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen is in an exciting stretch. Rehearsals for the McCarter/Olney co-production of  “I & You: The Musical” are beginning in April. Sarah and her team recently announced the 26/27 Season, which includes another new musical, an exciting co-production, and a new play directed by BOLD Associate Artistic Director, Donya K. Washington. At Northern Stage, rehearsals have begun for “The Children”, directed by BOLD Associate Artistic Director Sarah Wansley, featuring a particularly stand-out cast.

In our Empowering Innovation vertical, the Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School welcomed a new Program Manager, Tanya Chawla, who joins from Terrestrials, a science podcast from New York Public Radio, where she worked as an audio producer. Welcome, Tanya!

Additionally, The Pali project, a 2025-2026 Bicoastal Grant, continues to make strong progress. Building on the investigative reporting behind The Dicks podcast, the team is developing ethical, artist-controlled generative tools and recently launched SFAI Agency, bringing together artists, technologists, AI researchers, and journalists to develop tools and standards that protect artists’ attribution and representation in the AI landscape.

Finally, the Magic Grant Call for Proposals is live across both the Columbia and Stanford campuses, with key dates ahead: finalists will be announced April 10, and winners will be announced April 30. Brown Institute leadership and staff are actively meeting with prospective teams and are so energized by the ideas coming in. We are so proud of everything happening across our programs this March, and we cannot wait to share what is ahead!