I’m a 17-year-old delving deep into enhancing student safety and individual fulfillment in public urban high schools. My current project is a Boardy.ai-like platform for school counselors to coordinate stakeholders and student cases in an all-in-one platform.
In my free time, I love to journal in my own sound about life! Pencils are my swords, and journals are my shields as I navigate the outer world - jotting those musings, what-ifs, and brain zaps down. I also immerse myself in deep dives with friends about personal growth, goals, and dreams 💭
So, dear reader, expect self-reflection to be my fuel. As I propel towards a redemption arc.
🔗 LinkedIn | X | Substack | Medium
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I’ve started researching and building in this interection stemming from my experiences of seeing messy safety incidents throughout my short time in high school.
Over time, I’ve been digging deeper into the overlaps of mental health and poverty in relation to school climates to investigate why these happen.
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Demoing at the University of British Columbia’s Atelier, aka Vancouver’s Socratica node where I speak about project progress and personal growth stories every week! I’ve spoken around 20+ times since the beginning of September in front of audiences of 20-40+ people.
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I’m addresses the critical issue of unreported violence in public schools across Canada and the United States.
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I’m focusing on weapon possession, gang activity, arson, and physical fights, particularly in urban public high schools with larger student populations (over 1k students).
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Social dynamics and stigma worsen the root causes of poverty and mental health as potential violence indicators in student backgrounds.
Not every student comes from a privileged background, so they can barely get help. As a result, violent acts happen as a coping mechanism.
(sources: U.S. Office of Justice Programs, American Psychological Association)
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These issues contribute to an environment of
Around 70% of public schools in the U.S. have experienced a violent incident during the 2019-2020 school year with more than half going unreported (NCES, 2022
Gang observances observed in public schools according to the U.S. Department of Education have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, but are nonetheless still there and historical (source)
These graphs indicate…
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Current solutions often overlook these critical factors, focusing instead of surface-level security measures. Also, different agencies and support systems operate in isolation, hindering a holistic approach to student safety and fulfillment for students.
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This journey humbly started off as a completed buildspace n&w s5 project.
Around then, I focused on AI-powered weapon detection for earlier safety measures in schools through CCTV cameras over six weeks.
attending buildspace irl in san francisco has been the biggest highlight of my life so far. over three full days, I’ve met so many ambitious and curious creators beyond tech/science around the world, gained so many diverse perspectives, and actually felt like myself.
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Now, I’ve established connections to key players in developing this further, including the Vancouver Police Department and a Palantir strategist!
“Thank you for reaching out to the VPD to connect about your research project. I would be happy to connect via phone or virtual call for 15-30 minutes to discuss your ideas.” - Simon Demers, director of the Planning, Research, and Audit section of the Vancouver Police Department
“Nice to hear from you. I’ll have a chance to look at the questions by Friday…it sounds like an interesting concept! Thanks for sending the info. Looking forward to chatting soon.” - Kendra Laidlaw, principal of Happy Valley Elementary School in Victoria, BC
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I’m aiming to foster individual student fulfillment regardless of life circumstances. Hence, I’m addressing those complex factors contributing to school incidents over the next few years!
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If you know anyone or are working with the following, let’s connect!
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Send me a personalized message through email, Slack, or LinkedIn! Include a brief introduction about your background or mention a warm connection that can help inform my future project development :)
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