Doctoral student, Senator of Business, instructor, nonprofit CEO, mentor, parent… Bridget Guerrero wears many hats, and these aren’t even all of them. The Educational Leadership, Research, & Policy scholar juggles several ventures, some in partnership with UCCS, and wants fellow students to know they’re capable of it too.
Bridget first founded her nonprofit, One World Quest, in Florida in 2017, where she earned her bachelor and master’s degrees at Nova Southeastern University. The organization focuses on providing communities with educational, sustainable programs for both children and adults, along with internship and volunteer opportunities that can serve as credit hours.
After moving to Colorado Springs to work at UCCS in the Colorado Apprenticeship Cybersecurity Program, in which she first served as Program Director and then Director of Internal Operations, Bridget set her sights on establishing her nonprofit here while pursuing her doctorate from the UCCS College of Education.
“Once I started working here in Colorado I began thinking ‘okay, what’s the next step?'” Bridget said. “I had moved to a brand new place and didn’t really know anyone, but I definitely wanted to continue my education. Working for UCCS at the time, I saw how great the school was with its culture for students, and I saw room for improvement and for expansion within UCCS.”
Bridget connected with the T. Rowe Price Career and Innovation Center and UCCS Downtown to see how they could partner with her, with the Career Center agreeing to brand one of their rooms with the One World Quest logo and Zak Kroger, Director of UCCS Downtown, assisting her in expanding the nonprofit to Colorado Springs.
“When I met Zak, he was just so helpful,” recalled Bridget. “He asked what I needed, and that was student interns and a place to serve as the nonprofit headquarters, and he helped me get both. So, most of my interns have been UCCS college students, and it’s been really nice because I’ve been able to give them credit hours.”
As a first-generation student, Bridget is well aware of the obstacles students face and the resources they need to succeed and build their network. With One World Quest, she’s helping students from elementary to college levels both with the programs the organization offers and the chance to volunteer as part of the team. The coding and robotics after-school programs are offered to elementary and middle schoolers, with high school and college students volunteering in the instructor roles, and summer camps available as well. The summer program is eight weeks, but with the flexibility for parents to choose half or full days and the option to pay per week and get their kids into some courses without committing to the entire program.
“Our student employees and interns are gaining leadership experience, because they have to manage a team of five or six, and managing high schoolers that are volunteers can be challenging,” said Bridget. “But they learn these skills and they’re able to learn how to motivate and engage and inspire students and that’s been very successful. And what we teach the younger students, aside from coding, programming and robotics, is public speaking, how to communicate effectively, teamwork and how to engage with one another respectfully. They also get outside for at least an hour a day, often in Acacia Park, as we want them to have that outdoors time too.”
For adult community members, there are coding and cybersecurity courses available, and workshops that are about once and month and focus on a range of themes including financial literacy, leadership, self-development and more. The corporate trainings, which are offered to businesses at a low cost, consist of leadership and executive training. Beyond these programs are other initiatives that Bridget has spearheaded through One World Quest, like a Thanksgiving Food Drive last year that fed 30 families and a toy drive planned for this year.
Aside from One World Quest and her schoolwork, Bridget is partnering with UCCS Downtown to teach two classes for the Executive Training Series, a twelve-course program with three hour classes that include topics like project management, conflict management, cyber hygiene and several others. Bridget will be teaching two of the classes herself – Scaling and Organization on Oct. 30 and Managing Stakeholders on Nov. 6.
“What’s pretty neat about the executive trainings is that there’s folks that are also teaching these courses who are more seasoned and are people like professors, or even the dean, that have been with the College of Business for a long time, and almost every single person has a Ph.D.,” said Bridget. “It’s an honor for me to be able to teach alongside them and use my experience from teaching seminars and workshops.”
Though Bridget’s schedule leaves little wiggle room, she still finds time to spend time with her husband, Mauro Velez, who is also a current UCCS student in the Bachelor of Innovation program pursuing Digital Filmmaking and who serves as One World Quest’s Director of Film and Video Production, and their newborn daughter, Katalina. Bridget enjoys hiking with her husky pup, Nahla, and does a Spartan Race each year. She is also dedicated to her faith as a Catholic and works with the Diocese of Colorado Springs.
Becoming a parent has given Bridget even more ambition and purpose, not that she was lacking it before.
“I think my daughter has given me just this extra boost of energy and wanting to really be successful,” she laughed. “Before, I still wanted to help people be successful, but now it’s like I want to build a legacy that I can leave for her.”
Taking on all these roles and activities are more than worth it to her to help her fellow community members and provide opportunities to give back and help students become the best version of themselves.
“Anyone can make a difference if they put their mind to it,” Bridget emphasized. “I want to be able to inspire other young women, whether they’re hispanic or they come from underserved communities, or really anyone who feels like they can’t do it – you can. There is so much that I do because I want to make sure that my time is utilized in a way that I can give service to others and add value. That’s my mission in life, to add value to other people’s lives and create opportunities for those in need.”
One World Quest is currently taking intern applications, and those interested can learn more and contact Bridget here. To sign up for the UCCS Downtown Executing Training series, register here.