{"id":181217,"date":"2026-03-31T19:42:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/181217\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T19:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:42:12","slug":"student-led-ai-event-introduces-high-school-students-to-responsible-technology-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/181217\/","title":{"rendered":"Student-Led AI Event Introduces High School Students to Responsible Technology Use"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 31, 2026<\/p>\n

More than 25 students from a local high school received an introduction to the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in a St. John\u2019s University<\/a> symposium held March 25 at the\u00a0D\u2019Angelo Center<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0Queens<\/a>, NY, campus.<\/p>\n

Students from Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter High School<\/a>\u00a0in Brooklyn, NY, enjoyed an interactive experience highlighting the ethical use of AI through demonstrations and discussions led entirely by students in the University\u2019s First-Year Seminar program, part of the\u00a0Department of Core Studies<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0St. John\u2019s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The \u201cCollege Day\u201d program encouraged the visiting high school students to explore the evolutionary nature of AI and how responsible use of such technology can enhance learning outcomes for those approaching college.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that you cannot assume that because AI provided the information, it is always correct,\u201d said Ethan Torres, a 10th-grader at New Beginnings. \u201cYou still must check it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Omar Lopez \u201911M.A.<\/a>, Adjunct Professor, Department of Core Studies, organized the event. Mr. Lopez, who is pursuing a doctorate in the\u00a0Department of Curriculum and Instruction<\/a>\u00a0in The School of Education<\/a>, hosted a similar event in the fall semester for New Beginnings students.<\/p>\n

The student lecturers from St. John\u2019s were part of Mr. Lopez\u2019s course, FYS 1000: Artificial Intelligence. They led the visiting students through a series of presentations on AI sourcing; checking for bias in AI-generated material; and how AI programs harvest information.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

One lecture even showed the visiting students how to use AI to identify colleges of interest. The high school students competed for St. John\u2019s merchandise and other prizes in a series of interactive quizzes that tested their knowledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not want learning to become a passive exercise,\u201d said St. John\u2019s first-year nursing<\/a> student Deevashree Bhadrasain. \u201cAs a society, we do not want students using AI just to help them pass a course. We want students to learn the material.\u201d<\/p>\n

The First-Year Seminar curriculum encourages students to engage personally and intellectually with St. John\u2019s New York City home. Faculty members develop courses using their own disciplines as frameworks to teach students how to think critically, develop information literacy skills, and experience the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe annual College Day represents a clear example of how dedicated our faculty are to our students,\u201d said Simon G. M\u00f8ller, Ph.D.<\/a>, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, who attended the event. \u201cIt also highlighted our amazing students as leaders\u2014educating and mentoring high school students on artificial intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

To reinforce AI\u2019s growing impact in education, St. John\u2019s student lecturers asked the New Beginnings students if they had ever used the technology to generate images or text for a school project. Nearly all of the students said they had.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program is rooted in the same research and values that shape my scholarship,\u201d said Mr. Lopez, who also serves as a Customer Success Analyst in the Office of Information Technology<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cSeeing students teach students about responsible and dignified technology use is a powerful reminder of why this work matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

For St. John\u2019s student lecturers, the symposium was an opportunity to apply their classroom learning by teaching and mentoring the visiting students, some of whom were admittedly intimidated by AI and its classroom applications. \u201cWe, as college students, feel a responsibility to teach younger students how to use AI ethically as they continue their academic careers,\u201d said Nuzhat Tuba, a first-year student at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business<\/a>. \u201cI feel a bit like an older sister to these students.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Beginnings students, meanwhile, said it was especially valuable to learn about responsible AI use from those who already use it in a university setting. \u201cThe St. John\u2019s students are not far in age from us,\u201d said 10th-grader Samuel Adedoyin, a prizewinner in the quiz competition. \u201cThey can provide us with a template for how to use AI properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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