When the inaugural Presidential AI Challenge launched as a national initiative inviting high school students from across the country to design AI solutions for their communities, I had the privilege of helping a group of 12th graders take on the challenge from the start.

In partnership with The Idea Center at Miami Dade College, I served as the Design & Innovation Facilitator for students at the School for Advanced Studies, designing the curriculum and coaching teams through every stage of the program, from first sketches to final pitch.

Five teams went through that cycle with me. One earned the Florida state title in the high school division — one of only 85 state winners selected nationally out of more than 20,000 participants across all 50 states — and advanced to represent the state in the national competition. Several other teams were invited to present their work to Miami Dade College's leadership and at the AI Summit, recognition of just how strong and imaginative their ideas were.