Bridget retired from teaching library computers to pre-k through 12th graders in the New York education system. She loved teaching and since then has helped to give back to her community through volunteering as much as possible. Volunteering has always been an integral part of her life and something she passed down to her kids. 

Thanks to the New York partnership with GetSetUp, she has taken over 100 GetSetUp classes without paying any money. 

“I just feel I have taken and taken from these great classes. I think it is important to give back. Karma so to speak.” 

Bridget wants to share the pleasure she’s gotten from classes like drawing and music. She’s a huge fan of the art and music class sand has even volunteered to help Guide Michael's research for new information on a variety of diverse topics.

“I get into as many GetSetUp classes as I can. In the morning, it was yoga with Binda and l enjoy the meditation classes. I also like Guide Bhavani’s classes on Ayurveda. I really love tuning into the India classes.”

Making mental health a priority

Bridget finds that mental well-being is essential to her daily life. She was forced to retire early due to a student violence event in the classroom. Thanks to her supportive family and transcendental meditation she has worked to limit her medication for the chronic pain she now suffers due to this incident. 

“I meditate 2x a day and I love all the mental health classes on GetSetUp. They are wonderful.”

Bridget believes that the Guides do a wonderful job teaching the classes and she finds it hard to list a favorite. She regularly attends many classes on topics from meditation to decluttering. 

When Bridget is passionate she pursues a topic. After the incident at the school, she read, Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer and followed through with the 100-day program associated with the course. This has helped her so much that she’s giving back to the organization by helping to transcribe for them in 8 different languages. 

She loves connecting with people and communities globally that really resonate with her. She really enjoys the opportunity to connect with other lifelong learners and the socialization aspect is wonderful, she says. It’s nice to have a community where she can participate from anywhere in the world. One of her daughters is a pastry chef in New Orleans and she can visit without missing class. Plus since classes are offered around the clock she can plan according to her schedule and fit in time for the new grandchild on the way. She finds that no matter what she’s doing she can still enjoy GetSetUp. 

“I will be gardening but I’ll have GetSetUp up my phone.”

Since she’s been taking classes regularly she’s gotten to know other learners as well as the Guides which truly makes her feel the virtual community is an extension of her local community. She’s even mailed another learner, Michelle, a book she thought she would like on chakras. She finds the community works together to share information each of them thinks the others would appreciate. 

“In the end, I see the people in classes, sometimes hear their struggles, and realize we are all just one global community if you think about it.”