October 21, 2026

This summer, Chairman of PeerForward Bermuda Ltd. Craig Bridgewater, joined our Bermuda Peer Leaders at the Virginia Commonwealth University Workshop. He sat down with us to discuss his commitment to the organization, the future of PeerForward, and how Bermuda will benefit from our deepening investment.     

What brought you to PeerForward? 

I’ve done a lot of work in education in Bermuda. I was formerly chair of the Berkeley Institute for 15 years. When I stepped down from that particular role, I got the call to saying, “PeerForward is looking for a chairperson, would you be interested?” I did my own research, went online to see what PeerForward was all about, looked through the website, et cetera. What was really, really impressive to me was the fact that everybody who gets involved in PeerForward seems to stay involved for a really long time. There are people that have been around for 20 years, watching people come through as peers, become alumni, then become volunteers, and some even become full-time staff. That was really impressive. [The PeerForward model] utilizes positive reinforcement, having other students influence other students to actually go on to college and university and apply. That’s really positive peer pressure, if you will. That appealed to me.    

What value does PeerForward bring to the students of Bermuda? 

Encouraging students to actually apply and go off to college and university. Bermuda being a small island, having the opportunity to go on to tertiary education is really, really important. You can do that in Bermuda, or you can actually go overseas and do it. Getting off the island and actually having an experience in a bigger country is really valuable. It opens your eyes to all the opportunities that you may have in the world. 

How has your own education impacted you? 

It opened my eyes to the fact that there’s a bigger world out there. It gave me an appreciation for different cultures and traditions. Frankly, being able to socialize in bigger rooms, if you will, is a growth point. If you get involved in industries like commerce or international business, you have to have something more than just your academics. You have to have something interesting. You have to know something about the world, something about major cities. Actually getting an education and doing the stuff that’s not just in the classroom has been extremely valuable. 

What does Bermuda need in this moment? 

 I think in this moment, it needs leaders. What we’re doing here [at the Workshop] is actually building leaders and facilitating the conversation around leaders. We need leadership in the community to be able to bring others to a more progressive place as we come along. I think also positive outcomes and positive examples are something that Bermuda can continuously look forward to as well. 

Why do you choose to give back to your community? 

I think if you have something that you can contribute and you can actually see a way to make futures better for individuals, then why wouldn’t you give that? [To me, that’s] an opportunity. Being able to influence others, being able to be an example to others, is really important. I think everybody deserves to be the best that they can be in their life. If I can be part of that, to open up those opportunities so everybody can be the best they can be, then that’s where I want to be working. 

What words of wisdom would you share with our Peer Leaders? 

Don’t be afraid to actually brag about who you are, what you want to be, what you can be, and what you’ve accomplished. If you’re going to be the best that you can be, you have to advocate for yourself. You have to show people who you are and how you’re going to engage with them. 

What does the future of PeerForward look like to you?

Continuing to build on the legacy that’s been built already. Being around for 30 years is, again, a really powerful statement. It shows resilience, and really, it shows relevance. We should continue to build on the goals and objectives that the organization has. We want to create more opportunities for individuals to go off to tertiary education and continue to open up opportunities for those who may not have had the opportunity to do these things otherwise. [PeerForward] influenced hundreds of thousands of people. We should continue to build on that legacy. 

Any parting thoughts you’d like to share? 

Take full advantage of PeerForward, take full advantage of the advisors, and take full advantage of the infrastructure that is available to you. It’s a very unique organization, and you’re not going to get what you get from PeerForward anywhere else. So, take full advantage and really relish in the opportunity that’s being presented to you.