From the zoo to the State House

Ewidji Vincent first worked with Bridges in 2021. His YES Eddie helped him land a job at a community center, but the program shut down a month later. An interview at Wendy's didn't pan out. Ewidji put his job search on hold.

In 2023, he and his former teacher at Brooke Charter reached out to Bridges Boston. Ewidji was in a transition program at UMass Boston and volunteering at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. He was ready to work, but he was specific about what he wanted. He didn't want retail. He didn't want a restaurant. He wanted somewhere he could help people all day, just by talking to them.

His new YES, Cheyenne, brainstormed. The YMCA. Local libraries. The Franklin Park Zoo. Ewidji loved the zoo idea, he'd been many times, and the staff there had always made him feel like family. They applied for the Guest Experience Associate role. Ewidji aced the interview. The hiring manager later said it was probably his answer to "why do you want to work here?", Ewidji said he wanted to make future visitors feel welcome the way the zoo's staff had made him feel.

He loved the job from day one. His favorite part: when a visitor asked him a question and he could give them exactly the information they needed.

After his seasonal role at the zoo ended, Ewidji moved on to a paid fellowship at Massachusetts Advocates for Children, a nonprofit doing legislative and policy work on housing, government benefits, and education for minors. When that fellowship ended in September 2025, he started as an office aide for State Senator James B. Eldridge at the Massachusetts State House.

Ewidji shows up for Bridges in return. He appeared on the Bridge to Success podcast in May 2025 to talk about advocacy for the immigrant and disability community. In June he spoke on a panel at the Massachusetts Commission on People with Disabilities. He referred his friend Gessel to the program, Gessel now works at Walmart and Dollar Tree.