From Imagination to Innovation: Five Seniors, One Classroom, and AI Built for Real-World Success

What happens when curiosity meets opportunity—and a teacher isn’t afraid of big ideas?

In one Computer Science classroom, five seniors are proving that artificial intelligence isn’t just something you use—it’s something you can build. Guided by CTE teacher Manuel Castillo, these students took ambitious ideas and turned them into working AI-powered tools designed to help students, teachers, job seekers, and professionals succeed.

These projects didn’t come from a template. They came from real problems, personal experiences, and a classroom culture that encourages experimentation, iteration, and momentum before college.

A Teacher Who Builds Momentum

Mr. Castillo’s approach to teaching computer science goes beyond syntax and code. He challenges students to think like developers, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers—asking not just how something works, but who it helps and why it matters.

His passion and vision created the space for students to take risks, explore AI responsibly, and design solutions with real users in mind. The result? Projects that look more like startup prototypes than class assignments.

LoBot: Making Coding Click for Students

Kaylie Umanzor, senior, plans to attend Texas Tech University or Texas Christian University

Kaylie’s project, LoBot, is an AI-powered learning platform created to make coding more accessible—especially for middle school students and teachers who may be new to programming.

LoBot allows users to ask questions like, “What is HTML?” and receive explanations that start broad and grow more detailed as needed. Built-in tools generate study guides, quizzes, practice tests, and coding assistance, all within subject-specific chatbots so students stay focused on the right content.

Kaylie knows firsthand how overwhelming learning to code can be.

“I remember having a mental breakdown trying to learn,” she said. “We had to hard-code everything with very few resources. I wish I had something like this.”

She built LoBot from scratch in just two months, using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and AI tools to help manage the complex file structure behind the scenes. Every response was reviewed for accuracy to ensure students receive reliable information.

Even the name was intentional—a play on “Lobo,” designed for fellow Lobos. Mr. Castillo was especially proud of the branding.

Kaylie’s next step is earning her AI certification, with plans to eventually integrate LoBot into ClassLink so students can log in using their school Google accounts. Her future goals include software development and engineering, with continued study in AI.

Forge Studio: Helping Businesses Tell Their Story

Keerthivarchinan Avula, senior, plans to attend University of Texas at Austin

Inspired by his father’s mortgage business, Keerthivarchinan created Forge Studio, an AI tool designed to help businesses improve marketing, content planning, and audience reach.

The platform helps users brainstorm ideas through a short survey, generate tailored content for multiple social media platforms, create infographics, write video scripts, and produce multiple variations of existing content—all customizable by tone and style.

What started as a way to help his family turned into a scalable business concept. His future plans include strengthening cybersecurity protections and eventually offering the platform to corporations as a paid service.

WaveEaseAI: One Platform for Teachers

Ryan Njoroge, senior, plans to attend University of Texas at Austin or UT of Dallas

Ryan noticed something teachers often talk about: too many disconnected tools and not enough time.

His solution, WaveEaseAI, combines six classroom support tools into one platform—lesson planning, quiz creation, rubrics, grading assistance, and more.

Teachers can generate a full week-long lesson plan by entering a subject, topic, and duration. The AI outputs objectives, timelines, discussion points, and additional resources. The quiz generator allows teachers to control difficulty and rigor, making it especially useful for advanced courses.

WaveEaseAI also includes a grading assistant that reviews uploaded essays, provides summaries, and suggests improvements—helping teachers give meaningful feedback more efficiently.

Ryan envisions WaveEaseAI being sold to individual teachers and eventually integrated at the district level.

InterAI: Practicing for the Job You Want

Kevin Mesa, senior, plans to attend University of North Texas

Kevin’s project, InterAI, tackles one of the most stressful parts of professional life: job interviews.

Users can upload a resume, paste in a job description, and receive customized interview questions based on the role. InterAI conducts mock interviews—using text or voice—then grades responses, tracks progress, and offers feedback for improvement.

The platform can also analyze resumes, identify strengths and weaknesses, suggest improvements, and even flag when a candidate isn’t qualified for a specific role—explaining why.

Kevin came up with the idea after helping a friend prepare for interviews. What started as advice turned into a full AI-powered practice tool in just two weeks.

DEXTA: Training Competitive Students Smarter

Iyonawan Adonri, senior, plans to attend University of Texas at Austin or UT of Dallas

Designed for competitive student organizations like DECA, FBLA, and BPA, DEXTA helps students prepare for both role-play and written events.

The platform includes a digital judge that simulates competition scenarios, giving students time to prepare and then interact with an AI evaluator that scores their performance based on official rubrics. Written projects can be uploaded for AI-generated evaluations, helping teachers and students save time while improving quality.

DEXTA’s goal is efficiency—giving teachers better tools while helping students sharpen their skills. The project has already attracted outside interest, with opportunities to present it to professionals beyond the classroom.

Building What’s Next

Each project is different, but they share one thing in common: they were built by students who were trusted with big ideas and given the tools to bring them to life.

Thanks to Mr. Castillo’s leadership and a classroom that values innovation, these five seniors aren’t just learning about the future of technology—they’re actively shaping it.

Certifications That Open Doors

The innovation happening in this Computer Science classroom is backed by something just as powerful: industry-recognized certifications that give students a real head start before college and careers.

Two years ago, the district shared the story of four seniors from the original cybersecurity cohort who earned certifications—and quickly turned them into real-world opportunities:

• Gabriela Vasconcelos now works at a Network Operations Center (NOC) in Irving, Texas, and is pursuing Computer Science at UT Dallas.

• Anthony Florentino will complete a summer internship at a financial services holding company in the New York City area and is studying Computer Science at UT Austin.

• CJ Ramirez is interning in San Francisco in cybersecurity and privacy at an accounting firm, while also serving as a Student Security Operations Center analyst for an information security office. She also attends UT Austin.

That momentum hasn’t slowed—it’s multiplied.

For the 2025–2026 fall semester, 12 students in the program earned IT certifications:

• 4 students earned CompTIA Network+

• 6 students earned CompTIA Security+

• 2 students earned CompTIA CySA+

And the list is still growing, with more certifications expected this spring.

These credentials don’t just look good on a résumé—they validate skills, open internship doors, and give students confidence as they step into competitive college programs and career paths. Combined with hands-on AI projects and real-world problem solving, they reflect the bigger vision of the program: preparing students not just to graduate, but to launch.