Fellow:Bria Bridges

Bria Bridges is a University Innovation Fellow and I am a current undergrad at the illustrious North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. AGGIE PRIDE! I am a business management student with a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation. I also have a double major in Liberal Studies with a concentration in International Studies.

In the fall of 2015 I joined a group of three other students to compete in a social entrepreneurship competition. Although our project was not selected for that particular competition, that's when we found out about the Ford community challenge just days before the deadline. My group and I founded what became MakeIT MarkET an innovative, hands-on approach, educational program targeted towards high school students from disadvantaged communities. MakeIT MarkET which launched this fall! Following the success of that competition I continued to enter more competitions on my own. I found the competitions to be beneficial in several ways. For instance they helped me grow my critical thinking and analytical skills. I was looking at social problems that impacted people everyday lives and tried to find solutions for them that were effective, innovative, and refreshing. In addition, I also increased my public speaking skills exponentially, as well as my ability to conduct research. 

After completing my first successful year at North Carolina A&T State I had the opportunity to study abroad. I Traveled to Morocco, where I studied my third language Arabic along with an intensive course on gender studies. This experience enhanced my global outlook and led me to pick up my second major. On campus I am the President of my hometown organization, as well as co-founder of the Aggie Innovation Network. I am interested in increasing interdisciplinary collaboration.