Program Your Future with AI Fellowships in High School
What Are AI Fellowships and Why Are They Important?
In today’s world, the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping our everyday lives. Over the past few years especially, AI has been impacting several industries by enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making during different stages like manufacturing, servicing, and selling. Outside the corporate world, AI has come to be similarly important to advancing problem-solving capabilities in fields involving research and innovation.
Fellowships are immersive programs designed to provide exposure to a specific field or part of a field. In the case of fellowships for AI, students can get several different kinds of experiences, mentorship, and technical skills based on what domains of AI the fellowship is focusing on. Fellowships are mostly for high school and college students, and they pose good opportunities for any student to prepare for their future in which AI will probably play a large role.
Students can contribute to practical contexts involving AI and this experience can empower them to become the next generation of innovators in any field.
How High School Students Benefit From Fellowships
For any student, fellowships in AI are a great way to propel their academic growth and personal preparation for their future as the world becomes more and more driven by AI. But for high school students especially, this is a great opportunity for them to stand out in college applications.
Fellowships offer mentorship along with hands-on experience with up-and-coming technology to let students apply theoretical concepts in practical settings. Committing to any fellowship in general shows a student's enthusiasm to tackle challenges in the field and develop ideas that encourage forward-thinking.
Especially in STEM fields that are constantly changing, having a proactive approach to learning and adapting to new environments or tools demonstrates valuable character in a student. Furthermore, a profile for both academic and professional contexts can be more well-rounded with the soft skills cultivated in fellowships.
Admissions officers in universities and employers for corporate organizations alike value many of these qualities in applicants. Once you develop these skills and traits, they become demonstrable enough to show your competency for any part of your career in the future.
Additionally, fellowships in AI give you a head start for you to learn how to leverage AI. Knowing how to not only utilize but optimize AI and up-and-coming tech can make you a promising candidate for future employment in several fields.
Finding AI Fellowships
Using Keywords
There are many fellowships offered out there, even for AI alone. The key to finding what you want is knowing what you're looking for, and then searching intentionally for it.
When searching online, you can find programs aligned with specific AI domains by tailoring your searches with keywords. Try starting with phrases such as "high school AI fellowships," or "AI research opportunities for students," then tagging keywords like "machine learning," "data science," or "robotics." Keeping an eye on AI-related platforms, fellowship databases, and websites can also help you connect with educational opportunities.
Once you've found some fellowships that can work with your schedule, consider if the program is something you're genuinely interested in, and you're not applying for the sake of doing it or to "follow the crowd." While the public image and popularity of AI are certainly appearing more frequently now than ever, know that your personal direction and desires also matter.
Making A Compelling Application
Once you've caught sight of some fellowships you're interested in, it's time to demonstrate your capabilities and interests as a student. Overall, your application should show that you understand the goals and values of the fellowship or whatever organization is providing the fellowship.
To show that you resonate with the purpose of the fellowship, you can include relevant experiences, skills, and projects that are proof of your enthusiasm for what the fellowship is offering. The people behind the program want to know about you and how their program would help you achieve your aspirations.
Make your own goals and values clear, and how you think this fellowship aligns with them. This way you can show your qualifications, enthusiasm, and personal perspectives to tell more about yourself to the people running the fellowship.
When finalizing your application, it can be helpful to review the instructions and get feedback from someone you trust, such as a friend, teacher, or mentor.
What’s Next?
So, a fellowship has given you a head start on building essential traits in life and skills in your field of interest. This is a great point of experience to add to your resume and college application because this has given you a chance to build demonstrable, essential career skills.
Pursue opportunities where you can practice and demonstrate these new skills that you've learned from the fellowship you attended. Consider building projects of your own to develop your technical knowledge about AI or a specific domain of it. Here at Inspirit AI, we offer a great research opportunity where you can build an AI project for a field that you're interested in. Consider keeping an eye on our blogs and emails for more updates!
Remember that there are countless great programs that aren't fellowships. As a high school student, it's important to engage with these opportunities, whether it's a fellowship or not, because they help you develop the skills, knowledge, and experiences you need to achieve the life and career you want in the future.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
