We had the good fortune of connecting with Caecilia Gotama and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caecilia, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Soft Skills and Communication

My aha moment is when I was a relatively young engineering project manager at a large hospital project. There was Raj, a very good and meticulous tall electrical engineer. At one meeting there was a little … litte disagreement on an electrical solution with the Hospital Director; Raj’s design was right, but the Hospital Director requested that we bring a different electrical engineer to future meetings.

That’s when I realized: communication isn’t just what you say—it’s how you say it, and who the listener perceives you to be. In that male-dominated environment, I could repeat Raj’s same words with more force, and they would have been accepted—not because I was smarter, but because I was seen as “non-threatening.”

Raj was an engineer, he delivered the technically correct response … engineers are trained to do that, but human communication is so much more complicated and usually this is not an engineer’s strong suit.

This is why I created BRDG Innovation Challenge, a student competition program where students join a multidisciplinary team that creates solutions to real world challenges. As the saying goes: people get hired because of their technical skills, but get promoted because of their soft skills.

In this multidisciplinary team setup where each team is guided by 3 levels of coaches, students still learn to identify problem and design a solution, but like in a real world work setting, they need to collaborate with students from other majors, explain their vision and challenges to Subject Matter Experts that we provide as well as having to think ahead of who are the customer who will be using their products … and on the last day, they need to pitch their solutions to a panel of judges from industry.

Project competition is very common in engineering curriculum and I watch food channel all the time, so by combining engineering product development and cooking competition, we have BRDG Innovation Challenge.

Much like in Top Cheff, our students mature through this competition program, they learn from each other; they learn how to work in teams. And they learn how to anticipate and how to verbalize their thoughts … so their message can be heard and win opportunities.

Thank you Raj for this lesson.

What should our readers know about your business?
I owned a design engineering company in the commercial construction industry.
Our engineers had to work with all kinds of people—architects, doctors, musicians, even football coaches.

The technical skills were there, but the ability to connect and communicate with people outside our field? That was rare.

I tried everything; sending my team to communication workshops, mentoring in high schools, volunteering at STEM programs, even working with the Boys and Girls Club.
But the gap remained.

At a frustrating moment, I went to Cal State Fullerton and offer to provide soft skills workshops, pizza and coke if they bring students. On Saturday mornings, there were 80 students showing up

Forget those 40 years old and let’s focus on the 20 years old. I never did solve the communication challenges with my own seasoned engineers – we need to introduce these skills at a much younger age.

Then I met Linda at Cal State Fullerton.

A first-generation college student; bright, determined, hardworking
She landed her first engineering job at $20,000 less than the industry average. While her legacy peers; students from college graduate families were promoted within a year, it took Linda seven years to reach the starting salary they had on day one

At first, I thought it was just Linda’s story, but It wasn’t.

This is the story of countless first-gen students; talented, capable, hardworking but missing the professional networks, the insider knowledge, and the unspoken rules and the confidence to communicate that give legacy students an advantage.

As an engineer, with a life-long history if not accepting things the way they are and pushing my boundaries, I couldn’t just see the problem

I had to design the solution.

That’s how BRDG was born.
We bring first-gen and legacy students together on multidisciplinary teams.
Each team gets $3,500 to design and build a prototype over 20 weeks, guided by three industry coaches.

Selected first-gen students received further one-on-one mentoring, career coaching, and stipends so they can focus on growth without sacrificing income.

The results?
Our first-gen graduates are entering the workforce not just with jobs, but with leadership skills, confidence, and the desire to give back

It takes a village to make this happen; mentors who walk the journey with them, coaches who guide their projects, and sponsors whose investment makes it possible.

Because when you build a bridge for a first-gen student like Linda, you don’t just change one career .. you change the future of the industry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Fall Visit Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival & Welcome
Settle in, catch up, and enjoy a cozy home-cooked dinner: salmon with béarnaise sauce, grilled asparagus, and roasted baby potatoes. Dessert: cherry streusel.

Day 2 – San Juan Capistrano Stroll
Explore downtown San Juan Capistrano, from the historic Los Rios District to the lively River Street Marketplace. Pause for a leisurely lunch at Ramos House Café.

Day 3 – Los Angeles Adventure
Start the day late, then head to downtown Los Angeles for lunch at the iconic Philippe’s. Wander through Olvera Street, visit Broadway street and the Bradbury Building, Then enjoy an early dinner and dessert at Bottega Louie. End the evening with a concert at the Disney Concert Hall.

Day 4 – Coastal & San Diego Highlights
After a relaxed morning, drive to Carlsbad for an early lunch at Wildland. Continue to La Jolla to see the seals and cormorants along the beach, then on to Balboa Park and the harbor. Conclude with dinner at Extraordinary Desserts.

Day 5 – Julian & Temecula
Take a scenic drive to Julian for lunch, shopping, and their famous fruit pies. Then head off-road to Temecula for wine tasting and a leisurely dinner.

Day 6 – Guest’s Choice & Sunset
A day tailored to your guest’s preferences, followed by a sunset stroll and a final dinner at Doho Pizza in Dana Point.

Day 7 – Farewell Breakfast
Before departure, enjoy a hearty home-cooked breakfast of dill and cheese biscuits, applewood-smoked bacon, fluffy omelets, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Robert Bruch, Faisal Mushtaq, David Wild, Natalie Schonfeld, Leigh Poirier, Dennis Sporleder, Denice Hinden, Stories that Stick by Kindra Hall, BRDG bridge to connect, Melissa Martinez.

Website: https://www.bridge-to-connect.org/

Instagram: @bridge_to_connect

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caecilia-gotama-b788ba6/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bridgetoconnect6634

Image Credits
Caecilia Gotama

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