Shaun Tai

10/19/2026

Oakland Digital Arts & Literacy Center (ODALC) family, we're bringing back something very special.

After seven years, the BridgeGood Inspiration Awards are returning, and we'd love to celebrate with the community that helped us get here!

What started with $300 in Oakland 17 years ago has grown into something we're incredibly proud of, thanks to our students, volunteers, donors, educators, and friends who believed in us along the way.

On Friday, December 11, 2026, we're returning to San Francisco for our 11th Annual Inspiration Awards, this time 61 floors above the city at Salesforce Tower, with spectacular 360-degree views of the Bay Area!

We're honoring Dr. Lee Lambert of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and Dana Cho of Pinterest, with two more special honorees to be announced.

We'll also welcome select former Inspiration Awards honorees, enjoy a live performance by Bay Area R&B artist Netta Brielle, and celebrate with Emmy Award-winning host Frank Somerville.

If you remember our Oakland Digital days, our student design showcases, our celebrations, and the friendships made along the way, we'd especially love to see you again.

And if you're new to our community, there's no better time to get to know us.

This celebration has a purpose close to our hearts.

We're raising $500,000 through THE FUTURE FUND to keep BRIDGEGOOD's Oakland studio thriving through 2028, helping students and job seekers access tuition-free design and technology training, mentorship, and opportunities for meaningful careers.

We want the next generation to have the same chance to learn, create, and succeed that so many of our graduates have had.

A heartfelt thank you to our Inspiration Awards Committee for helping make this return possible:

Aisha Tai · Angela Yazmin Mogollon · Becca Libby · Brodie Rich · Cassandra Rowe · Chris Kirschke · Elisa Feng · Gabriella Garcia · Kartikay Garg · Kristy Okada · Marcus Creel · Mubarak Haruna · Rob Loera · Shaun Tai · Sydney T Nguyen · Tarrea Tolbert · Tyler Wesson · Vivian Urata

Friday, December 11 | 5:30 to 8 PM
Salesforce Tower, 61st Floor, San Francisco

Individual tickets: $150
Sponsorships start at $2,500
Limited availability.

To our Oakland Digital friends, supporters, and everyone who has been part of these 17 years, thank you.

We'd love to see familiar faces, make new friends, and celebrate how far we've come together.

Join us or become a sponsor:
https://bridgegood.com/inspirationawards

We started in Oakland. Oakland will always be home.

The Inspiration Continues.

10/19/2026

BridgeGood started with $300 in Oakland. Seventeen years later, we're gathering 61 floors above San Francisco at Salesforce Tower.

And we would be so grateful to have you there. After seven years, BRIDGEGOOD's 11th Annual Inspiration Awards is finally returning!

On Friday, December 11, we're bringing together longtime friends, generous donors, and new supporters for an intimate evening celebrating people who open doors for others, surrounded by breathtaking 360-degree views of the San Francisco Bay Area.

We're especially proud to honor Dr. Lee Lambert, Chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, and Dana Cho, Chief Design Officer at Pinterest, with two more extraordinary 2026 honorees to be revealed!

Meet select former Inspiration Awards honorees, connect with inspiring Bay Area leaders, and enjoy an unforgettable evening hosted by Emmy Award-winning Frank Somerville, with a special live performance by Bay Area R&B artist Netta Brielle.

The most important part of this evening is what we can make possible together.

Through THE FUTURE FUND, we're working to raise $500,000 to help keep BRIDGEGOOD's Oakland studio thriving through 2028, so students and job seekers can continue receiving tuition-free design and technology training, mentorship, and opportunities to build meaningful, sustainable careers.

To our individual donors, volunteers, and longtime friends: Thank you for believing in BRIDGEGOOD through every chapter of our journey. Whether you've supported us for 17 years or just recently joined our community, your kindness has brought us to this moment.

To companies and individuals considering supporting BRIDGEGOOD for the first time: We would be honored to welcome you into our story. Your sponsorship helps keep these critical opportunities alive and doors open for students building meaningful futures, while connecting you with a community that believes in lifting others as we rise.

And to our incredible Inspiration Awards Committee, thank you for giving so generously of your time, talents, and relationships to bring this celebration back. Your belief in our students and our future means the world to us:

Aisha Tai · Angela Yazmin Mogollon · Becca Libby · Brodie Rich · Cassandra Rowe · Chris Kirschke · Elisa Feng · Gabriella Garcia · Kartikay Garg · Kristy Okada · Marcus Creel M.A. · Mubarak Haruna · Rob Loera · Shaun Tai · Sydney T Nguyen · Tarrea Tolbert · Tyler Wesson · Vivian Urata

One extraordinary evening. Seventeen years of believing in what's possible. A future worth building together.

Friday, December 11, 2026 | 5:30 to 8 PM
Salesforce Tower, 61st Floor, San Francisco
Individual tickets: $150
Sponsorships start at $2,500
Limited availability.

We would truly love to share this special evening with you.

Purchase your ticket or become a sponsor: https://bridgegood.com/inspirationawards

The Inspiration Continues. Because of you. For our community.

09/16/2026

Cassandra Rowe Joins BridgeGood Board of Directors | Veteran research and design leader brings more than 25 years of experience across Pinterest, Netflix, and The Walt Disney Company.

OAKLAND, Calif., September 15, 2026 — BRIDGEGOOD announced today that research and design leader Cassandra Rowe has joined its Board of Directors, bringing decades of experience in customer insight, product strategy, organizational leadership, and design to the nonprofit’s leadership.

Rowe has spent more than 25 years helping organizations navigate periods of growth and change. Her career includes leadership roles at Pinterest, Netflix, and The Walt Disney Company, where she has worked across research, product development, design strategy, global expansion, and emerging technology.

"Cassandra understands that great technology starts with understanding people," said Shaun Tai, Executive Director of BRIDGEGOOD. "She has spent her career building teams, creating opportunities, and helping organizations turn complex challenges into thoughtful action. That perspective is incredibly valuable to BRIDGEGOOD as we continue preparing students and emerging talent to participate in a rapidly changing technology economy."

Rowe spent more than a decade at Pinterest, leading the Design and Research organizations through significant growth and change, including global scaling, IPO readiness, and the rapid adoption of AI. She grew Pinterest’s Research function and brought customer insight into decision-making, helped evolve how design, product, and engineering worked together, and championed product quality and accessibility at scale.

Before Pinterest, Rowe served as Senior Manager of Growth UX Research at Netflix, supporting the company’s international expansion through customer research focused on areas including product strategy, localization, payments, and market entry. Earlier in her career, she worked at The Walt Disney Company in research and strategy.

Her appointment also brings previous nonprofit and industry board experience to BRIDGEGOOD. From 2021 to 2023, Rowe served as Vice President and a CIRQ Board Member with the Insights Association, contributing to conversations about business strategy, financial sustainability, and the evolving research industry.

Throughout her career, Rowe has been deeply committed to building strong communities and creating the conditions for people to thrive, learn, and grow. She has invested in others through coaching, mentorship, and teaching, and created Pinterest’s Design Apprenticeship and Internship programs to open pathways into design and research for candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, an area closely connected to BRIDGEGOOD’s work with emerging talent.

As a member of BRIDGEGOOD’s Board of Directors, Rowe will help guide the organization as technology, design, and artificial intelligence continue to reshape how people learn, work, and build careers.

Her appointment is effective September 2026.

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About BRIDGEGOOD

BRIDGEGOOD is a tuition-free design and technology nonprofit focused on economic mobility for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. Since 2009, BRIDGEGOOD has served 36,000+ people, including 20,000+ program participants, through real-world training in UX design, cybersecurity, AI, and career readiness.

BRIDGEGOOD provides tuition-free design and technology training that supports economic mobility for students and job seekers, predominantly ages 18–24, while extending beyond age 30 through community college partnerships and programs for diverse adult learners. BRIDGEGOOD centers Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities and delivers real-world job training through the UX Design Apprenticeship and Cybersecurity for Social Good.

To learn more, visit bridgegood.com.

08/19/2026

We believe, yes we do. Day 1: BridgeGood apprentices were still finding their voice, others were brand new to user experience design, and some were just starting to build their confidence, which is exactly why they came to our nonprofit in the first place. Fast forward three months, to our App for Good showcase, and they stood up and delivered in a way that made me ask myself, how is this the same person. A week out, I know the answer: they're ready to launch a career, starting now.

On stage, one of our 2025 graduates, Tamanna, said BRIDGEGOOD doesn't just provide access, that across nearly two decades of cohorts, what we've actually been doing is building power and building movements. After all these years, I don't think I've heard it that poetically, and I'm grateful she did.

This is why I'm so proud of this group of talented designers. Most products get built by rooms that look and think the same way. When the people designing technology actually come from the communities that technology is meant to serve, accessibility stops being an afterthought and equity stops being a slide in someone's deck. Purpose becomes pixels, and pixels become products that actually work for more people.

If you weren't able to join us, here's a way you can still be part of what's next. This is the one year in our history where I can tell you, honestly, that a $25 gift, a $50 donation, gets multiplied. Every dollar goes directly to resources for these apprentices and to the job seekers who need support the most. It's easy to assume a single donation doesn't move the needle. This year, with BRIDGEGOOD, it truly does.

What did we give these apprentices, beyond the technical know-how? Pride, confidence, and relevant, hirable skills across the board.

To funders considering where to invest next, and to the organizations doing this work alongside us, here's what seventeen years has taught me: nothing writes a stronger grant than consistency and honesty held together over time. That's what we've built at BRIDGEGOOD.

Purpose to Pixels might be over. What we're collectively building isn't. Thank you Team BG: Angela, Elisa, Mubarak, Brodie, David, Sydney, Tarrea, (THE BEST) volunteers, and our Board of Directors for your dedication. Photo by Khadine!

Consider making a tax-deductible donation at bridgegood.com/donate, or Venmo $50 to to help keep design education free for all.

08/13/2026

See the apps BRIDGEGOOD's UX Design Apprentices built for social good & meet them in person at Block Hub in Uptown Station, Oakland.

08/05/2026

04/28/2026

At BridgeGood, we believe longevity matters. Excellence in craft matters. Social impact matters. And when those values are built with honesty, consistency, and care, they continue to lead the way.

Creative Threads reminded us what becomes possible when creativity, opportunity, and community come together in a real and visible way. Seeing our students and graduates share their work with pride, celebrate at the Warriors game, and have their custom shoes showcased at Chase Center was a powerful moment for our community. It was bigger than a single event. It reflected what happens when young creatives are given space to grow, when craft is taken seriously, and when community investment becomes real.

We are grateful to the Golden State Warriors organization, the Golden State Valkyries, and Adobe for helping make this experience possible. Thank you for continuing to invest in creativity, visibility, and real opportunity for our students and graduates.

We also want to thank everyone who has stood with BRIDGEGOOD through strong seasons and challenging ones. Thank you to our students and graduates for trusting us with your time, talent, and dreams. Thank you to our supporters, donors, and funders who choose to do what is right, not what simply checks boxes. Thank you to the people who understand that real impact is built over time, with integrity, relationships, and follow through.

This photo means a lot to us because it represents more than attendance. It represents belief. It reflects nearly 2 decades of showing up. It reflects work that chooses substance over optics, people over transactions, and long term impact over short term recognition.

We are grateful for everyone who continues to stand with BRIDGEGOOD. For those who keep believing in this work and walking with our community through every season, we do not take that lightly. We will continue to deliver with excellence and integrity, with financial and economic mobility as the end goal.

Join us on May 5th as we unveil the Top 20 Inspire Oakland designs. Free RSVP at 2026inspireoakland.eventbrite.com, and please help us spread the word. 💛