Union County Vocational-Technical Schools / Inspirit AI 2025
Summer AI Programs
Impact Report
Program Overview
In Summer 2024, Union County Vocational-Technical Schools launched its inaugural AI summer program for high schoolers, and due to the success of the program, Inspirit AI returned for Year 2 in Summer 2025. These two-week initiatives introduced students to artificial intelligence fundamentals and guided them to build socially-impactful AI projects. The program combined hands-on coding, ethical discussions, real-world case studies, and coding labs, culminating in a showcase of student-led innovations addressing real world challenges.
AI Scholars for High School Students
Program Highlights
Dates:
July 21-July 31, 2025
Participants:
30 in-district students from rising grades 9-12 attending Union County Magnet High School, Academy for Allied Health Sciences, Academy for Information Technology and others
Inspirit Faculty:
Summer Royal, Stanford, Master’s Student in Computer Science and AI
Angel Rivera, Stanford, B.S. in Computer Science
Isha Patel, Princeton, B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Curriculum Overview:
Python, machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, neural networks, linear/logistic regression, AI+Ethics, positioning research projects in college applications, capstone projects unifying coding skill, ethical sensitivity, and research design
Capstone Projects:
Searching for Exoplanets
NLP and Finance
Distracted Driver Detection
Community and Culture
The programs fostered a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration: students from coding, humanities, and design backgrounds worked in teams on both mini-projects and the capstone project endeavor.
Instructor spotlight talks featured current faculty’s applied AI research in both laboratory and industry settings.
Students developed a strong sense of purpose-driven learning, anchoring technical knowledge in social good, and walked away with a set of ethical precepts to guide further research they may undertake in AI/ML.
“I really enjoyed this program, and I fell like I learned a lot of information that I usually wouldn't have learned. Working with friends on the project was another highlight of the program. I liked the collaboration aspect of the program, where I could work with friends, and I like the guided nature of the project.”
— Luis N., 11th Grade, Union County Vocational-Technical Schools
Alice Mansfield-Smith, High School Principal, Union County Magnet High School
“AI will be part of everything we do in society and students (our future) will have to learn all about it and how it can be used productively- it will control much of what we do. Our students will be the future of AI usage and innovations.”
→ Looking Ahead
→ Give students more time to complete an optional but recommended pre-program Python crash course (especially for novice coders)
→ Improve financial aid to expand opportunities for underserved students
→ Offer a no-code/low-code option for students keen to build AI apps without having to code in Python