The program exposed me to a variety of unique leadership styles and introduced me to many inspiring individuals. It played a pivotal role in allowing me to not only develop the leaders around me but also the leader within me!
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Our second Alumni Spotlight for August 2020 is Alumna Bridget Gorta, a graduate of Greenbrier High School (2007) and of Georgia Institute of Technology (2011). Bridget currently works as a Learning Delivery Manager at Deloitte. During the 2020 Virtual Summer Institutes, Bridget volunteered as a Speaker at the SYLI Alumni Roundtables!
Paint a brief picture of what you are doing now.
After 8 years in Nashville, I just moved back to Atlanta in January (2020). It’s nice to be home! Professionally, I’m a Learning Delivery Manager at Deloitte for the Enabling Areas business. It’s a project management-centric role and I lead a team based in the US and India that drives the logistics and communications for our Learning and Development programs. We are now in a 100% virtual world, but for a while, we hosted programs at our local offices and our Leadership Center, Deloitte University. I’m incredibly passionate about well-being, so I serve as a Well-being Wizard and have been active in the well-being workstreams for the Nashville and Atlanta Inclusion Councils. I also occasionally facilitate our Orientation programs, which is a lot of fun!
Right now, I am making the best of our situation with COVID-19. I love being outside hiking/walking, doing yoga, weightlifting, going to farmers markets, and hanging out with my dog, an 8 year old pug rescue named Reuben. I recently started volunteering with the organization Concrete Jungle, and I hope to keep that up once a month.
How did participating in 21CL transform you and lead you to where you are now?
It ended up helping me make my decision to go to Georgia Tech. I had family and friends who went there, but it gave me a first-hand view of campus and empowered me to learn what else the Institute had to offer from a majors and career perspective. I remember being in awe of how close campus was to Turner Studios and the CNN Center, which we toured during my 21CL experience.
How did 21CL prepare you for your next steps? Going into college and taking on leadership roles, heading into a new era of professionalism, etc. What skills/tools/perspectives have helped you along the way?
Collaborating with others really sticks out to me. I remember it being one of my first group project experiences staying connected with others through email and technology with team members who were all across Georgia. We couldn’t meet up to work on tasks as you could for a traditional school project. It’s amazing how this is how many of us, including myself, work on a daily basis now, especially in the COVID-19 landscape.
Which programs did you participate in, and when? What skills did you gain or improve through those programs?
I attended a summer session called Leadership Unplugged: A CNN Experience (the first WarnerMedia-sponsored summer leadership institute, now known as the WarnerMedia Institute for Future Leaders) together with Nicole Meadows – who now works at 21CL –Â in 2006!
What was a memorable or ‘aha’ moment in 21CL? (Particular program, meeting a professional and diverse peers, speaking in public for the first time, etc.?
It exposed me to networking, which is something I enjoy and has been key to my career development and personal brand.
Did 21CL assist you in developing a leadership style that makes you an effective leader? if so how? And have you recently learned something else about leadership? Please share!Â
Yes, all my professional life has been about building networks that last-it’s my leadership style!