Summer Speaker Series
On June 26, A Bridge for Kids launched its 2025 Summer Speaker Series with an unforgettable session featuring Ryan McGovern, Luxury Real Estate Partner and Entrepreneur. Held at Cooley LLP’s beautiful San Diego office and catered for students thanks to the generosity of our hosts, the event was an inspiring success and set the tone for the powerful conversations still to come.
Ryan, a partner on the elite Jason Barry Team at Barry Esates, brought not only his professional expertise in high-end real estate but also a deeply personal story of grit and perseverance. Raised in a small town in rural Oregon, Ryan got his first job at age 12 picking strawberries. From working in a logging mill to commercial fishing in Alaska, his early life taught him the value of resilience, adaptability, and hard work. He emphasized the importance of viewing challenges from new perspectives and transforming adversity into wisdom.
Our students were engaged, inspired, and thoughtful in their takeaways:
“To improve yourself in something after you have endured hardships from it, you have to view that experience from a different perspective. Instead of associating it with negativity, turn it into knowledge that will help you along the way.”
“One thing I learned from the presentation are the 5 P’s: Proper preparation prevents poor performance.”
Ryan left the event energized by our students’ curiosity and focus, and we are so grateful to him for kicking off the series with such heart.
More to Come:
The Speaker Series continues this summer with three more accomplished professionals, each bringing a unique perspective and career path to share:
Charlotte Marshall – A globally recognized employer brand strategist, bestselling author, and award-winning leader who currently heads Employer Brand and Recruitment Marketing at Intuitive.
Abed Abusaleh – CEO of Havas Edge and a visionary leader in direct response marketing, known for building strong, people-first cultures and data-driven solutions for top brands.
Mike Nance – Founder of A Bridge for Kids and a former Managing Director at Putnam Investments, who launched this nonprofit to give back and create life-changing opportunities for underserved youth.
This series gives students the chance to connect directly with successful professionals from diverse industries (real estate, branding, marketing, nonprofit, and finance) and gain valuable insight into their journeys, lessons learned, and advice for the future.
Stay tuned as we continue to spotlight our upcoming speakers and share more reflections from students who are learning, growing, and dreaming bigger through this special program.