At Centennial College, our programming aims to help students succeed by removing barriers to their success because we believe education is for everyone. We’re also a school of the world, empowering our students to become agents of change. And in the case of Bridget Ofosu Andam, she managed to do both.
Bridget’s story begins with her growing up in a marginalized community, and, with the help of what she learned at Centennial College, leads to a chapter where she overcame systemic barriers to start her own non-profit organization.
Bridget came to Centennial via HYPE (Helping Youth Pursue Education), a program designed to help young people access post-secondary learning. After graduating from the program, she went on to complete our Social Service Worker program, before co-founding the community-building non-profit Developing Communities Everywhere (DCE). Here’s the story of her tremendous journey.
Reconnecting with Centennial College
"Before I attended Centennial College, I had graduated from Blessed Cardinal Newman Catholic Secondary School, and I was looking to pursue a career," Bridget explains. "At the time, I was living in a marginalized community, and my parents were pretty much living from paycheck to paycheck, trying to provide for myself and my siblings." While in this chapter of her life, she decided to attend Centennial College, but her first attempt wasn’t successful.
"I actually dropped out in 2012," she says about her first go at Centennial College, "because I was still unsure of what I really wanted to do, and then worked various jobs for about two years. But then I applied to the HYPE program. I remember I joined the Human Development course, and I really enjoyed it so much that I decided to re-admit myself to the Social Service Worker program in 2014." And as for her decision to go into social justice work?
"I was very much involved in extracurricular activities, especially at the Warden Woods Community Center, right on Warden and St. Clair.," Bridget says. "I hosted two programs in 2016, the Taste of the Woods and the Taste of Teesdale. I also joined a walk called Peace for Scarborough that was run by the Warden Woods Community Center to raise awareness on gun violence. I'm mentioning these many things because it just shows that I was already involved in the community before I entered into my profession in Social Service Work."
"I volunteered as a community journalist as well, with CLN, the Cassandra London Network" she adds. "All those things kind of reassured me that this is the work I'm supposed to be doing."
Putting the Social in Social Service
"This program prepared me very much through the courses that they provided. I remember there was this course about interviewing, and I didn't realize that I really needed that skill," Bridget says.
"It really helped me develop a network of people that I can rely on," she continues. "Not to name drop right now, but Melanie Holmes and Ahmed Bawah both worked in the Community Outreach office at Progress Campus at the time. They were both very supportive, and are still sometimes my reference for things."
In fact, the mentorship of the program’s faculty and staff helped Bridget excel academically, culminating in her receiving a Leadership in Distinction. But beyond the academics, the Social Service Worker program also provided Bridget with opportunities to step outside of the classroom.
"The program also gave me the opportunity to complete field placements," she adds, "and when you're doing placements, they give you the hands-on skills that you need in order to do really well within the profession."
"What really helped me was being able to be a part of the GCELE Program," she says, referring to Centennial College’s Global Citizenship and Equity Learning Experiences, in which students travel abroad on missions of learning and positive social change. "This was a life changing opportunity that allowed me to reconnect with my roots, because I was able to travel to Ghana, and I'm of Ghanaian descent. And that was a big deal for me. I was able to create about three programs at an orphanage called Kinder Paradise, living there for three months. I was able to create those programs through the skills that I learned through the Social Service Worker Program."
"That's when I knew that I wanted to have my own organization," she says. "I wanted to work with people. And through that experience, I was able to develop this organization with the help of my peer, Diya Basil, who assisted in the creation of this [non-profit organization]."
Developing Communities Everywhere
"DCE is a dynamic, mobile non-profit organization," Bridget explains about the organization she founded and registered in 2020. "It's driven by a diverse team of individuals, and I'm proud to say that it’s women-led. We embrace the vision of community building, community outreach and international development. We have about 13+ volunteers [and] our primary objective is to foster an inclusive environment within communities by implementing programs that actively engage community members and dedicated donors."
As founder and president of DCE, Bridget spearheads strategic partnerships with local and international organizations and oversees a dedicated team of executives. DCE also has a second chapter, DCE Kings, that is ratified under the King's University College students Council, which focuses on community outreach and community building.
Looking to the future
"I always tell my friends that I feel like I've lived a whole life journey already, and I'm only in my late twenties." Bridget says with a laugh.
Bridget continues her pursuit of education at King’s University College, an Affiliate of Western University, where she graduated this June with a BA Honours Specialization in Social Justice and Peace Studies. While at King’s, she won the Experiential Learning Award, the Rondine Travel Award, and the Cahill Family Student Award. She also won the Black Student Business Award for Black Excellence from WEAN (Where We Are Now) Community Centre, having been nominated by the Black Student Association at Western University.
"My sights are firmly set on securing a meaningful position within an institution," she says about her future, "so that I'm able to share my testimony with other students and encourage them on their journey and let them know, hey, you can go through school, you can get it done."
"One thing that I would say is to discover a profession that brings you joy, and that showcases your natural talents," she offers as words of advice for others who might be facing hardships and barriers to success. "And once you do, embrace it tightly."