January 2024 Updates
We are officially one month into the new year, and we hope everyone is feeling spirited and ready for all that is to come in 2024! This year is about leveling up, and creating excellence in everything that we do.
Our BridgeUP + OUT program is well on its way this semester, with midterms and college applications being the focus for most of our Scholars. It’s such an exciting time in deciding what and where they want to embark on their academic career moving forward. Many of the Scholars who attend Cardinal Hayes, attended the annual football dinner, winning multiple awards for their various positions! We can’t wait to continue celebrating the big wins with them!
Down in Tennessee, at BridgeUP Giddy UP, students are gearing back up for the weather to get warmer so they can fully jump back into riding. Though the winter weather hasn’t allowed for as many stable sessions, they students have been continuing with their fitness sessions and educational aspects of the program, including Equestrian Entrepreneurship Education talks. The program has gained increasing traction in the local community, resulting in a wonderful exhibition in partnership with Off the Walls Art, titled, “GiddyUP Glamour”. It consisted of professional photography taken by Adarryll Jackson Sr., who has been following and working with the Giddy UP team for a while now.
Our Scholars within the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network are beginning their second semester of the academic year. At Colby-Sawyer College, BOLD Scholars ventured to Albany, NY for their yearly retreat. They spent a weekend learning about emotional intelligence, the importance of having a network, along with other fun bonding activities for them to engage in. These trips are a highlight for everyone, offering opportunities to build connections and friendships that can last a lifetime.
At the University of Connecticut, BOLD Scholar Arianna M. completed her project dissemination on her cookbook for college students. It’s tailored to UConn students, but useful for everyone, on how to incorporate a Mediterranean diet into your lifestyle. It will be available on Amazon for purchase!
Additionally at UConn, BOLD Scholar, Kim R., was featured in an amazing profile on her and her incredible summer leadership project. She spent her time and effort creating a documentary focused on underage pregnancies in Guatemala.
“A year ago, she didn’t know much about professional cameras or audio recording. She’d only ever made small social media videos for fun. But none of that stopped Rosado from traveling more than 3,000 miles away from home to make a feature-length documentary film, in two languages, in a different country, and all on her own – with support from a network at UConn through a pioneering program aimed at cultivating courageous leadership in young women.”
The Brown Institute for Media Innovation has announced their 2024 Venture Challenge. For the past three years, Brown has sponsored a “Media Track” for this competition. It is designed for students, recent alumni, and faculty who are interested in starting a new venture. These might be for-profit or non-profit and involve journalism, media, and technology in some way.
The Media Track of Startup Columbia consists of two rounds of “pitch sessions”, in which participants prepare a short presentation about their idea and deliver it to a group of judges. After their first interaction, they refine their pitch and have the chance to present for a second round. In mid-March three winners are named who will receive cash prizes. The winners also receive scholarships for the Brown Institute’s 2024 Summer Entrepreneurship Program, where they have an opportunity to really work through their ideas. At the end of the summer, there will be one final competition for three challenge winners, possibly ending in a grant for $100k.
Additionally, the Brown Institute has their Entrepreneurs-in-Residence as a part of the program, and are available to help refine ideas. We are so excited to see what gets put forth!
Entrepreneurs-in-residence: Diane, Ethar, Jenny, and Shanza!
Lastly, as a part of our Venture initiatives, the HGB Team had the opportunity to see Literature to Life’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby. The performance took place at the United Palace in Washington Heights. The show took the form of a one-person act, performed by Bryce Foley and directed and adapted by Kelvin Grullon. It was a powerful and stimulating take on the American classic. We can’t wait to see the show’s success and impact as they continue to tour.
We can’t wait to see what February brings…stay tuned for more updates next month!