The bridge to brilliance

the long version

Documents how a magnetic young principal created a path-breaking school in one of New York City's poorest neighborhoods. Mott Hall Bridges Academy isn't a typically underserved public school in one of New York Citys most underprivileged communities-- it is a school that glows with energy and excitement. It was an uphill battle to get the school launched, to recruit faculty and students, to solve a million new problems every day from violent crime to vanishing supplies. Lopez tells the kids every day that they're extraordinary and that she loves them, and here she illustrates how leadership often means just picking the right people to support you.