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Sat on a panel at the Discovery Partners Institute in front of CPS educators from all over Chicago to talk about AI, quantum computing, and what the future actually looks like for students coming up right now. Panelists included longtime mentor Bevon Joseph, who has been doing this work in AI and youth development longer than most people even knew what AI was, along with Caleb Williams and Amy Wu, both doing big things in the quantum space. Nobody was fear-mongering. No 'AI is coming for jobs' energy. No surface-level definitions. The panel was actually showing teachers how to use these tools in their classrooms, for their students, right now. Teachers can't prepare kids for a future they don't understand themselves. That's what this was about: bridging that gap. Shoutout to Danna Dotson-Simmons at DPI for putting this together. Running into her at the Chicago Citywide Science Fair and getting that invite is exactly the kind of full-circle moment that keeps the work going. Lindblom to the AI space.

Came back home. Chicago Scholars is a big part of why Jacques had a shot at any of this. First-gen kid from Chicago, no real roadmap, just an organization that showed up and helped build one. When they asked him to speak to current Scholars, he didn't think twice. He called it 'From the East Side to the AI Space.' Not a motivational talk. A real breakdown of what AI looks like right now, what tools actually matter, and how people are using them to build things, get hired, and make money without a tech background. The vibe coding piece is what people kept coming back to after. The short version: you don't need to write code anymore. You describe the problem, AI writes the solution. Everyday people with zero dev experience are building apps, automations, and client tools in an afternoon that used to take a whole dev team weeks. That's not hype, that's just what's happening right now, and most people still don't know it's an option. The goal was for every person in that room to leave knowing the barrier they thought existed doesn't really exist anymore.

Second year judging the CPS City STEM Exhibition, and every time walking in it hits different. The elementary school science teacher who first put Jacques on to the STEM exhibition practically handed him off to his high school science teacher who kept him going through every expo. Now he's the one judging, and every year the three take their annual STEM photo together. The projects this year were astonishing. One student built an inexpensive autonomous cooking robot that cuts down on food waste and keeps safety and convenience at the center. Jacques told him if he hooks that robot up to something like OpenClaw he could literally text his robot through iMessage and prompt it with AI to start cooking his portions while he's on the way home. That's AI making a real difference in everyday life. Another student tested what temperature makes batteries perform best. Turns out cold actually drains them faster. Seeing these young minds working on stuff like this gives so much energy. AI and STEM aren't just buzzwords for these kids, they're building with it.

Partnered with Bevon's Mentee Network and Chicago Department of Family & Support Services (CPP) to host a 90-minute AI for Job Seekers webinar for young adults ages 16-24. Taught how employers use ATS (Automated Tracking Systems) to screen resumes before humans see them—looking for keywords. Demonstrated LIVE how to transform volunteer experience into professional resume language using our FREE AI Career Coach, then pasted it into Google Gemini Canvas to create a formatted resume in 2 MINUTES. Showcased Google Career Dreamer for creating 'career identity statements' (elevator pitches), ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode for mock interview practice with real-time feedback, and Perplexity AI for finding Chicago jobs with verified sources. Key insight shared: putting AI tools on your resume moves you to the TOP of the pile—employers expect digital fluency now. Everything taught was FREE tools with zero cost.

Partnered with Bevon's Mentee Network at the 2025 Women in STEM Career Fair, powered by the Bolhous Foundation as part of their Girls in STEM Initiative targeting female students from Chicago's 13 Early College STEM High Schools. The fair connects female-identifying high school students with women in STEM professions to increase the prevalence of girls moving into STEM-based careers. Vibe coded business websites for high school entrepreneurs in UNDER 5 MINUTES using Lovable. When asked 'What do you know about AI?' students only knew ChatGPT—we showed them there's way more. Built lashes and hair websites for students with cosmetics businesses, and created project sites for other students. Teachers came over asking what tools we were using and want us to teach their students. This is what community investment looks like: free game, AI education, and financial literacy—giving access to communities that need it most.

Featured as AI expert commentator on TMZ Live's national broadcast to discuss critical AI ethics and safety concerns. TMZ reached out after seeing TikTok content about AI education and responsible implementation. Addressed the OpenAI suicide case, discussing how AI models prioritize engagement over mental health safeguards. Emphasized the urgent need for protecting vulnerable users—young people, those struggling with mental health, and anyone in crisis—when interacting with AI systems. This appearance amplified the message that AI education must include responsibility and ethics, not just technical capabilities.

Partnered with Campus Coin Invest to teach AI and financial literacy at Chicago's Youth Biz Expo, hosted by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) and Chicago Public Schools. Mayor Brandon Johnson personally visited the table, recognizing the mission of bridging the gap between Chicago youth and AI literacy. Live-built a website in 5 minutes for a high school entrepreneur using Lovable.dev. Demonstrated practical AI tools including ChatGPT's learn and study feature, NotebookLM podcast explainers, and other career-accelerating technologies. Focused on reaching students in communities often left behind by the tech revolution, providing hands-on AI education across Chicago's West Side, South Side, and East Side.

Partnered with Campus Coin (Bevon Joseph, Yusuf, and Jemar) to deliver 'AI Money & Careers' workshop at Chicago's largest FREE Financial Education & Empowerment Summit, hosted by Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Combined AI literacy, financial literacy, internships, social capital, career exposure, and job opportunities. Featured live 'vibe coding' demonstration where a student's cookie business idea was transformed into a functional website on stage. Workshop included celebrity attendees Common (Grammy-winning artist) and Damola Adamolekun (CEO of Red Lobster). Interactive demos included AI-powered music creation (Suno.AI), NotebookLM study hacks, AI investing insights, and hands-on experience with ChatGPT, Lovable.dev, Sora 2, and Gamma for real-world career acceleration.

Returning to alma mater to share how AI is already helping students, small businesses, and the community with simple, practical applications for growth and everyday tasks. Focus on making AI accessible, especially for communities often left behind in the tech revolution. Open to students, faculty, staff, community members, and local business owners.

Co-hosted intensive bootcamp combining AI education, financial literacy, and career exploration for underserved Chicago youth. Students built monetizable AI solutions addressing community problems, including an AI system connecting students with trade union mentors. Included field trips to Bloomberg and Architect offices downtown to provide exposure to professional environments.

Returned to alma mater to deliver 'Helping Small Businesses Stay Ahead with AI' workshop. Provided hands-on demonstrations of ChatGPT, Ideogram, Gamma AI, and Lovable AI tools. Created the 'Village Community Bar' app live on stage to demonstrate AI's potential for community engagement and anonymous feedback systems. Emphasized that AI doesn't require technical expertise or expensive software.

Co-facilitated AI sessions at Campus Coin's Midwest expansion event, introducing students to AI applications in finance and career development. Collaborated with 25+ partners to deliver interactive workshops, pitch competitions, and networking opportunities. Created a custom AI website specifically for the event, demonstrating practical AI implementation.

Participated in Teen Summit 2025, engaging Chicago youth through creative AI applications and career development. Created a hip-hop song about AI education using Suno and developed a Chicago-themed number guessing game featuring local landmarks and culture. Discussed non-traditional career paths in music production, storytelling, AI ethics, and other emerging fields that blend creativity with artificial intelligence.

Served as a judge at the 75th Annual Exhibition of CPS Student STEM Research, evaluating innovative projects and providing AI strategy guidance. Notably advised a student working on diabetic health solutions using smart bulbs and blood sugar monitoring, recommending AI voice assistants and predictive models to enhance user experience.

Co-hosted with Bevon Joseph to deliver practical AI insights for small businesses and nonprofits. Covered AI basics, easy-to-use efficiency tools, and real-world applications including content creation, marketing outreach, and data analysis. Emphasized AI's role in addressing social challenges and community empowerment.

Delivered a comprehensive two-part AI workshop series focusing on practical business applications. Participants learned simple AI tools for small businesses, task automation strategies, and day-to-day operational improvements. The series progressed from AI fundamentals and creative tools like OpenAI and music generators to advanced workflows for content creation, sales outreach, and chatbot development.