Janssen Cardiovascular & Metabolism
We’re thrilled to announce that all of our Bridge to Employment students recently received Fitbit fitness trackers as part of the program. These Fitbits will allow students to monitor their daily activity and participate in friendly fitness challenges.
Wearing the Fitbits, students will be able to track their steps, distance walked, calories burned, and much more. The devices sync wirelessly to provide real-time progress updates. At the end of each week, we’ll honor the students who were most active by tracking their step counts.
Promoting healthy competition and habits is an important part of our career readiness training. The Fitbits will motivate students to get moving and meet their fitness goals. They’ll also foster camaraderie and positive peer pressure among students striving for weekly step count bragging rights!
Physical health and wellness directly impact mental health and productivity. By emphasizing fitness, we’re setting students up for success both in and out of the classroom. We’re thrilled to be integrating these innovative wearable technologies into our programming. Let the friendly fitness challenges begin!
On February 3rd, our Bridge to Employment students participated in an engaging Black History Month activity focused on STEM pioneers. Students were tasked with researching an important Black pioneer in science, technology, engineering, or math.
After selecting their pioneer, students had to pitch why their STEM trailblazer should join a hypothetical Mars colony. They delivered creative and informative 5-minute presentations highlighting major accomplishments and innovations.
The winning team consisted of Mykel Smith, Tahlin Brathwaute, Axum Nickerson, Lucian Leon, and Irvin Cato. This group memorized their entire pitch within the 15-minute preparation time, demonstrating stellar collaboration and public speaking skills. As a prize, the winning team received Georgia Tech blankets!
We are incredibly proud of all our students who participated in this competition. Their presentations were well-researched and thoughtful. Events like this provide an opportunity to honor Black excellence in STEM fields while developing critical thinking, teamwork, and communication abilities.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we are excited to continue uplifting diverse perspectives and voices through engaging activities at our Bridge to Employment program. The students exceeded our expectations and made this inaugural competition a resounding success!
The Bridge to Employment (BTE) program at Georgia Tech, in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson (J&J BTE), successfully hosted an impactful session on Saturday, August 23rd, designed to equip students with crucial skills for college readiness and future career success. The event, held at the Georgia Tech campus, ran from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM and focused on providing practical, high-value guidance for navigating the critical steps toward higher education.
The morning started warmly with breakfast, setting a relaxed atmosphere before diving into the core agenda. The foundational hour of Welcome, Icebreakers, and Needs Assessment from 9:00 AM allowed students to connect with peers and BTE mentors. Crucially, the needs assessment ensured that the program remains highly relevant and responsive to the evolving goals and challenges faced by the participating scholars.
A cornerstone of the day was the session dedicated to College Admission and Essay Writing. Experts directly from Georgia Tech Admissions provided students with essential strategies and insider tips for crafting competitive applications. This session armed students with the knowledge to write compelling personal essays and understand the key elements that make an application stand out, giving them a significant head start in the demanding college application process.
This was immediately followed by a highly anticipated HBCU Discussion Panel from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The panel offered a dynamic platform for students to learn about the deep-rooted cultural, academic, and professional advantages of attending a Historically Black College and University. The discussion explored how these institutions excel in developing strong community leaders and providing unique, supportive pathways to success, broadening students’ perspectives on the range of excellent educational options available to them.
After the intellectual focus of the morning, attendees shared a lunch creating space for students to reflect and engage in personalized conversations with peers & mentors. The session concluded at 1:30 PM, leaving the students energized, informed, and better prepared to tackle the academic year and their subsequent college applications with confidence. The August BTE session successfully served as a vital launchpad, reinforcing the program’s commitment to preparing the next generation of talented professionals.
On Saturday, September 20th, the Bridge to Employment (BTE) program, proudly presented on behalf of Georgia Tech and J&J BTE, traded the classrooms of Atlanta for a day of exploration in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This comprehensive field trip, which ran from 9:00 AM to 6:15 PM, offered students a vital blend of academic exposure and exciting cultural excursion, reinforcing the program’s commitment to broadening their educational and career horizons.
The day began early for the students at the pick-up location. Breakfast was served directly on the bus, allowing the journey to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) to commence promptly. The bus travel was used to prepare students for their campus experience and the day’s events.
The first major destination was the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Upon arrival, students engaged in a Self-Guided Tour. Walking the campus grounds provided a firsthand look at university life outside of Georgia, offering a tangible perspective on different campus sizes, environments, and academic atmospheres. This exposure is crucial for students as they begin to narrow down their ideal choices for post-secondary education.
Following the campus visit, the group gathered for lunch at the Crossroads Dining Hall. This allowed the students to experience the social and logistical aspects of campus life, cementing the reality of attending college.
The afternoon transitioned into a unique cultural experience, showcasing the area’s natural wonders. The students traveled to the renowned Ruby Falls, where they participated in an Excursion till 4PM in the afternoon. This famous attraction, which features the deepest commercial cavern and tallest underground waterfall in the U.S., offered a break from academic formality, fostering peer bonding and offering a memorable experience outside the standard curriculum.
The long but rewarding day concluded with the return journey to Georgia Tech, departing from Chattanooga and arriving back at the Atlanta campus in the evening. This month’s BTE session successfully provided an essential element of the program: hands-on, tangible exposure to a college campus and a memorable group activity. By blending academic opportunity with cultural exploration, the students gained a richer understanding of the possibilities awaiting them beyond high school, leaving them inspired and more informed about their future paths.
The October Bridge to Employment (BTE) session immersed students in a high-impact curriculum, proving that essential life skills and inspiring career exposure can successfully coexist. On Saturday, October 18th, the program delivered a dynamic blend of financial planning and hands-on science, culminating in a memorable trip to the largest aquarium of the United States, the Georgia Aquarium.
The morning at the Georgia Tech campus began with a critical academic focus: a comprehensive Financial Planning Workshop. Recognizing that navigating college and early career life requires strong monetary skills, the session provided students with practical knowledge in areas such as budgeting, saving, and making informed financial decisions. Breakfast was provided, ensuring students could dedicate their full attention to mastering these foundational skills before moving on to the day’s field trip.
Following the workshop, students transitioned to the Georgia Aquarium. Once there, students were given dedicated time to explore the facility. This self-guided period served as a valuable hands-on science lesson, allowing them to connect classroom concepts—like biology, chemistry, and engineering—with the immense scale and complexity of a real-world aquatic conservation center. Lunch was also served at the Coastline Cafe in the aquarium, offering a moment of connection and reflection amid the breathtaking marine life.
The final activity was an Interactive STEM Session, which took place upon returning to the Georgia Tech campus. This afternoon segment was designed to bridge the gap between observation and application. Students used the insights gained from the Aquarium visit to engage in structured, hands-on activities that reinforced critical thinking and problem-solving. This approach demonstrated the practical pathways available in STEM fields, directly linking the wonder of the Aquarium to future professional possibilities.
The October BTE session provided a powerful, well-rounded experience. By coupling vital financial preparedness with an engaging, real-world science excursion, the program reinforced its mission to equip students with both the life management skills and the inspiration needed to confidently pursue their academic and career goals.
The Bridge to Employment (BTE) program concluded its fall sessions with a truly unforgettable day that transformed abstract science into thrilling, hands-on experience. On Saturday, November 8th, BTE scholars were joined by several high school juniors for the full-day event, engaging in an action-packed agenda that blended an immersive activity at iFLY Atlanta with a college campus tour. The event provided unique college exposure alongside an exhilarating taste of applied STEM.
The students were provided with a nourishing breakfast before departing for iFLY Atlanta. Upon arrival at the facility, each student had the incredible opportunity to participate in indoor skydiving—an exhilarating experience that put them directly into a powerful vertical wind tunnel. Following their flights, the students were exposed to core STEM concepts and careers through a specialized educational activity. This segment connected the physics and engineering principles of aerodynamics, weight distribution, and fluid dynamics directly to professional pathways, making the science immediately relevant and exciting.
Following the high-energy morning session, students were taken to Chow King Grill & Buffet for lunch. This provided a great opportunity for all students and mentors to relax and network before transitioning to the afternoon’s focus. After lunch, the group traveled to Clark Atlanta University (CAU), where they participated in a comprehensive campus tour. Although it drizzled during the tour, students were informed about the various university buildings and the vital functions they serve, gaining a deeper understanding of the campus layout and academic resources. Following the tour, students participated in a fun Trivia game focused on STEM questions, reinforcing the concepts they had explored earlier in the day and encouraging collaboration.
The day concluded as students were transported from the university campus back to the Georgia Tech campus at the pick-up location. The November 8th session successfully combined a dynamic, hands-on application of science with practical college exposure. By demonstrating how scientific principles translate into both thrilling experiences and viable careers, the BTE program left students, including the visiting juniors, feeling motivated, inspired, and with a clearer vision of the academic and career paths awaiting them.
The Bridge to Employment (BTE) program wrapped up its inspiring fall series on Saturday, December 6th, with “A Day of Fun and Professional Development”. The event successfully blended essential career skill-building with high-energy team bonding, providing students with a strong finish to the year.
The day began with a nourishing breakfast served to the students, followed by the agenda for the day. The morning began with focus on professional growth, starting with an insightful talk from a medical professional, Dr. Andre Eaddy. Dr. Eaddy shared his life journey, detailing his struggles through his bachelor’s degree and what ultimately led him to pursue a PhD. Crucially, he showed students how to make necessary adjustments in their academic and professional lives to maintain a balance with their personal lives, emphasizing the importance of being ready for any uncertain circumstances and adapting accordingly.
The session continued with a communication skills workshop and subsequent presentation competition. For the competition, the students were divided into teams, with each J&J champion guiding five students as mentors and judges. Students were given 45 minutes to work on one of two challenging prompts: “How will the universities look in 25 years” or “Ideate a product that nobody thought was needed.” The teams then created a 3-4 slide presentation and presented their innovative solutions to the group. The J&J champions scored each team unbiasedly, culminating in the selection of two winning teams. Each student on the winning teams was awarded a Georgia Tech hoodie as a prize, recognizing their collaboration and innovative thinking.
The afternoon shifted to a dynamic, collaborative team experience. Students traveled to Beat the Bomb Atlanta for an immersive team bonding experience. This activity, featuring collaborative problem-solving, emphasized the importance of teamwork and quick communication in a fun, high-stakes environment. Teams worked together through a series of increasingly difficult, color-coded challenges, racing against the clock to disarm a virtual bomb before time ran out. The fast-paced scenario required swift decision-making and precise execution, ensuring every student was actively engaged in the success of their group
The December 6th BTE session perfectly encapsulated the program’s holistic approach, successfully blending expert career guidance and crucial skills practice with memorable collaboration. As the students returned to Georgia Tech, they left with new insights from Dr. Eaddy, but with strengthened bonds and a renewed sense of purpose. This impactful event reinforced the program’s vital role in preparing the next generation of STEM and professional leaders, ensuring that BTE scholars are inspired, equipped, and ready to confidently tackle the challenges that lie ahead in the new year.
Students will complete the Birkman Method Assessment and Strength Finders assessment while also receiving support in developing an individual Education & Career Plan (ECP).
Students will participate in campus tours, admissions and financial aid workshops, peer coaching sessions, as well as receive individual support when submitting post-secondary, financial aid, and scholarship applications.
Students will engage in lab tours, leadership and soft skills workshops, panel discussions, and Johnson & Johnson's Energy for Performance program.
Students will participate in a community service project, as well as Johnson & Johnson ERG sponsored events.
By the end of the program (June 2026), the BTE- Atlanta, Georgia program will achieve the following:
90% of the Year Three BTE students complete the program.
95% of BTE participants applied to at least one post-secondary program.
95% of BTE participants submitted the FAFSA.
95% of BTE participants apply for at least 5 scholarships.
80% of BTE participants were accepted to and plan to attend a post-secondary program.
65% of BTE graduates enrolling in post-secondary education plan to major in a STEAM2D discipline.
95% of BTE graduates are confident in their employability skills and 50% obtained at least one digital badge certification.
85% of BTE participants exhibit community leadership and volunteer at least 8 hours in Year Three.