More than 25 students from Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter High School in Brooklyn were introduced to the responsible use of artificial intelligence at a St. John’s University symposium held March 25 at the D’Angelo Center on the Queens campus.
The event, led by university students in the First-Year Seminar program, aimed to help high schoolers understand ethical considerations and practical uses of AI as they prepare for college. The program included interactive presentations and discussions about how AI sources information, detects bias, and its role in academic work.
Omar Lopez, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Core Studies who organized the event, said, “Seeing students teach students about responsible and dignified technology use is a powerful reminder of why this work matters.” Lopez also serves as a Customer Success Analyst in the Office of Information Technology at St. John’s.
During the symposium, participants engaged with demonstrations showing how to verify information provided by AI tools. Ethan Torres, a tenth-grade student from New Beginnings Charter High School, said, “I learned that you cannot assume that because AI provided the information, it is always correct. You still must check it.”
St. John’s first-year nursing student Deevashree Bhadrasain addressed active learning with technology: “We do not want learning to become a passive exercise,” she said. “As a society, we do not want students using AI just to help them pass a course. We want students to learn the material.” Nuzhat Tuba from The Peter J. Tobin College of Business added: “We, as college students, feel a responsibility to teach younger students how to use AI ethically as they continue their academic careers.”
According to the official website, St. John’s University supports multicultural initiatives through its centers and institutes; features campuses in Queens and Manhattan along with international sites; is affiliated with the Vincentian Community; offers more than 100 undergraduate majors across six schools; and operates as a Catholic institution dedicated to liberal arts education under President Rev. Brian J. Shanley.
Samuel Adedoyin from New Beginnings reflected on peer mentorship: “The St. John’s students are not far in age from us,” he said after winning one of several quiz competitions during the event.“They can provide us with a template for how to use AI properly.”