March 1, 2026
For more than 25 Brooklyn, NY, high school students, a visit to St. John’s University offered more than just a glimpse of college life: it offered a unique opportunity to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) and how to use it responsibly, ethically, and critically.
Students from Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter High School visited the University’s Queens, NY, campus on October 14 for the University’s third interactive AI College Day program. Held in the D’Angelo Center (DAC), the program combined demonstrations, discussion, and hands-on learning to explore both the possibilities and pitfalls of AI.
What made the experience particularly unique was who was leading it: St. John’s students.
The students—all participating in the University’s First-Year Seminar program and enrolled in FYS 1000: Artificial Intelligence—designed and delivered presentations examining how AI works, how it gathers and uses information, and how users can recognize potential bias in AI-generated content.
“When a high school student walks onto a college campus and hears a first-year student say, ‘Here's how I check my sources,’ it changes what feels possible,” said Omar Lopez ’11M.A., Adjunct Professor in the Department of Core Studies, who created the program. “Our students practice service in a very real way, and visitors leave knowing they belong in this conversation and on a campus like this one.”
Mr. Lopez, the 2026 recipient of the Faculty Award for Community Engaged Learning for his work on the program, is pursuing a doctorate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in The School of Education.
For the St. John’s students, the experience provided an opportunity to put their classroom learning into practice while exploring how AI is shaping areas of everyday life, including gaming, data privacy, and digital security. It also gave them a chance to share what they had learned with students who may soon be navigating many of the same questions about AI in college.
The first-year students also helped their visitors experience the campus firsthand, leading them on a tour and offering a glimpse into what life is like as a college student.
Inside DAC, first-year student Corey Robinson from Springfield, MA, helped deliver his group’s presentation on Data Privacy in Gaming, urging students to be mindful of their data. “Your public profile can reveal more than you intended—your name, age, email, play data, purchases, and routines,” he explained. “Sometimes they will keep that information for six months, sometimes, indefinitely. That’s why it’s important to choose a private profile, share less information, and use a unique password and multifactor authentication.”
For their visitors, it was an early look at both college and the evolving role technology will play in their education, along with a reminder that using AI effectively starts with knowing how to use it responsibly.
Other student-led presentations covered topics relevant to high school students, including Using AI Ethically: Strengthen Your Job Materials; Spotting AI Bias; and College Application Readiness: Using AI Ethically.
In the latter presentation, students offered vital information and tips about using AI in the both the college search and application processes.
Krish Singh, a finance major from New Hyde Park, NY, gave a personal reflection on how he used AI to streamline his college search, stay on schedule, and complete the often-overwhelming application process. “There is so much information out there about different colleges, so you can use AI to narrow down your choices,” he said. “I’m here at St. John’s today because I told ChatGPT about my interest in finance and other information, and it was able to tell me about other people’s firsthand experience at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business and the campus culture. It also told me about Tobin’s honors program, which I didn’t even know existed.”
He also explained how to ethically use AI when writing college essays. “AI is a great tool to help you brainstorm ideas you have for your essay. It can give you feedback and help make sure you actually answered the prompts that a college asked.”
The group implored students not to have AI write the essay itself, as admission officers can use AI tools themselves to help determine what was AI-generated and what was organic. “The most important thing is to keep your voice front and center,” they explained.
For high school junior Ta’Veon Spencer, of Brooklyn, that message resonated. As he prepares to begin the college search process, he views AI not as a substitute for his own work, but as a tool that could help him stay organized, explore his options, and make more informed decisions about where he wants to continue his education.
“The biggest takeaway I had was that I can use AI to help keep me on track throughout the college search process,” he said. “I want to major in computer science, so I’ll definitely be using it to help find the best school for me.”
Ultimately, the students learned that using AI effectively means finding the right balance: taking advantage of what the technology can offer while still relying on their own judgment, creativity, and voice. “Above all, I learned not to rely on AI too much,” said Jovan Pagan, also a junior. “Just like when a teacher gives you a lesson, you don’t want to just copy what they’re doing—you want to put your own personal stamp on it and make it your own.”