A recent 25th-anniversary celebration drew 60 in-person guests and over 400 virtual participants to commemorate the achievements and milestones of Antioch’s Bridge Program, which has provided free, high-quality humanities education to low-income adults since its inception in 1999. The celebration, which was held from 5–7 PM on October 26, 2024, aimed to highlight the program’s commitment to social justice and educational equity.
The event featured a Founder’s Speaker Series panel discussion with key figures in the Bridge Program, including co-founders Shari Foos and David Tripp, co-directors Russell Thornhill and Kathryn Pope, and the testimony of former Bridge students. These discussions provided insights into the program’s history, its impact on participants, and the vision for its future. Pope shared her vision of a world where, as she says, “one day, programs like Bridge are no longer unique—that education is free and freely available around the world.” Other alumni and faculty stories emphasized the program’s transformative impact on individuals’ lives and its role in fostering resilience, creativity, and community engagement.
In addition to speeches and a panel discussion, participants engaged in conversation, ate food from a potlatch, and made art communally. The art-making included an invitation to contribute before the event to the construction of an ofrenda that the Los Angeles campus was making for Día de Los Muertos (read our full article about the ofrenda on Common Thread) and then during the event, all in-person participants were invited to paint part of a long tapestry that incorporated personal stories and experiences into a large art piece capturing how the Bridge program has impacted its community. The final art piece created vibrant and enduring documentation of the Bridge program’s impact.
“Together, we created a tapestry of lived experiences, challenges overcome, and shared visions,” says Thornhill. He goes on to say that the gathering was more than just an anniversary event. “It was,” he says, “a narrative of justice, unity, and hope that we carry forward in our mission.”
A Collective Tapestry Shows the Power of Community
The tapestry was created under the leadership of Bridge art history instructor Fabián Cereijido, PhD. In his own work, Cereijido often explores the intersections of culture, identity, and resistance. Thornhill explains that it was this perspective, along with his significant background in art history, socio-political movements in Latin America, and art censorship, that made him “an ideal curator for a project that encapsulates the spirit of transformation and collective memory.”
“By immortalizing the experiences of students in a tapestry,” says Thornhill, “we honor the personal stories that have shaped individuals and the larger community, creating a legacy of empowerment and artistic expression.”
As guests entered the room, they were greeted by a white canvas stretched across two banquet tables. Paper bowls with foam paintbrushes and bright paint sat next to others piled with pastel crayons. By the end of the evening, the over 60 in-person participants had had the opportunity to reach for pastels and foam brushes to leave a piece of their story on a collective community tapestry.
Participants took many different approaches to reflecting on their experiences with the Bridge program. Some used many different colors; others included words and symbols. The final product captured how each person’s experience of Bridge is unique yet also intertwined.
The program intends to keep the tapestry and bring it out for future events. As Thornhill explains, it will serve “as a vibrant emblem of the shared legacy, unity, and purpose of the Bridge community.” (Read our 2023 profile of Russell Thornhill on Common Thread.)
Reflections on Bridge’s Quarter-Century of Impact
Among those who shared stories of Bridge’s impact during the event was former student Janine Betts. “When I found Bridge, I was at a point where I had lost confidence in myself and my abilities,” said Betts. “Bridge not only reignited my belief in my potential but also gave me the tools and motivation to move forward with my education.”
Betts says that she was moved to speak at the event in part out of a desire to inspire others. As she explains, “I hope my story inspires others to believe in their potential and keep moving forward.” Because of the foundation Bridge provided, Betts was able to complete her BA in Psychology and her MA in Clinical Psychology, both at Antioch. Today, she is pursuing her doctoral studies at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She says, “On April 5, 2025, I will walk across the stage and receive my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.” She credits Bridge for helping her rediscover the value in herself and setting her on a path she had never imagined possible. (Read our 2019 profile of Betts on Common Thread.)
For Shari Foos, one of the two co-founders of the Bridge program, the experience of attending the event, where she spoke about the Founders’ Speaker Series, was “deeply moving in the most personal way.” As she explains, “To see a lifelong dream thriving after 25 years is the next best thing to healing the wound that provoked it.”
The event put the Bridge program’s other co-founder, David Tripp, in a reflective mood. For him, starting Bridge was one of several times that he has been involved in starting something important and meaningful. “There’s a spark of recognition, of insight, about something that needs to be done or that you need to do,” he says. “A contribution you desire to make. A chance to situate yourself on the right side of history.” He explains that when you nurture that spark “by showing up with humility and generosity and love,” a project like this “ripples out in ways that you can’t foresee or ever fully expect.” That extraordinary transformation is what Tripp says he experiences with Bridge. For him, the most meaningful part of the night was “witnessing all the unexpected benefits in so many people’s lives.”
For Pope, the highlight of the event was the way that, as she puts it, it “brought together so many people who have shaped Bridge over the past 25 years: students, alumni, teaching assistants, faculty, staff, donors, and dedicated supporters.” She says, “I’m so grateful to everyone who has made Bridge possible.”
Thornhill agrees. He especially loved seeing everyone participate in creating a shared tapestry of Bridge’s past and future. It was in these moments, he says, that “a story took shape—rooted in our commitment to social justice, visible in the faces and voices around us.”
