Newark Academy Students Lead First-Ever Student Artificial Intelligence Summit

Wanting to play a more active role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence, Newark Academy students came together to launch the school’s first Student Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit. The event brought together students with interests in AI from other local independent schools for a day filled with presentations and breakout sessions led entirely by students, on Saturday, January 11 at Newark Academy.

The Summit, spearheaded by Director of Digital Learning and Literacy Stephanie Hammond, was attended by over 50 students from Newark Academy, Dwight-Englewood School, Kent Place School, Morristown Beard School and The Pingry School. 

Six Newark Academy students were among those who delivered individual presentations. Cate Estilo ’26 and Sophia Ha ’26 paired up to present “Ethics of AI” in which they discussed the tough ethical challenges that have risen along with the use of AI. They referenced their knowledge and experience from taking part in the Inspirit AI Scholars program taught by Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni and graduate students.

“I wanted to participate in and help organize this event because I’m passionate about the transformative potential of AI and its impact on education, innovation and society,” said Cate, vice president of NA’s newly-formed Student AI Committee. “It is so important to foster conversations about AI among students, not just as users of the technology but as the future creators and decision-makers. I also believe events like this can spark curiosity and collaboration, encouraging students to think critically about the role AI will play in their lives and careers.”

Other Newark Academy student presenters included: 

• Jacob Brodsky ’26 on “Human or Not: The Ethics of AI Communication”
• Matthew Herbert ’25 on “LLMs in Healthcare: Automating Radiological Image Labeling”
• Abby Hsu ’25 on “The Healing Algorithm: How AI is Redefining Healthcare”
• Sachin Mitra ’27 on “Training AI’s in Reinforcement Learning”
• Evan Oliver ’25, president of the Student AI Committee, on “Computer Vision + My Experience at Princeton AI4ALL”
• Sathvik Subramanian ’27 on “AI and Creativity: Compose a Song in 10 Minutes”
• Ayanna Varma ’25 on “How AI Augments Human Decision Making”

Matthew’s presentation demonstrated an AI model he developed to analyze and diagnose radiological reports from Lenox Hill Hospital — a creation born from his independent study at NA alongside Caitlin Ciampaglio, his faculty mentor.

“I am deeply excited about how the current AI-tech revolution is lowering barriers to innovation in healthcare,” Matthew said. “Tools and knowledge once reserved for large institutions are now accessible to small, driven teams capable of making profound impacts. Summits like this equip students with the skills and vision to leverage AI to tackle real-world problems and drive equitable solutions in a rapidly evolving world.”

Newark Academy alumna Durga Srivatsan ’18 also attended the event to provide insights about how her work at Deloitte uses artificial intelligence. Students also watched a video from fellow alum David You ’19 who discussed how his team at Google is building innovative AI search features within Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Chat.
Stephanie hopes the Student AI Summit will become an annual tradition hosted by different New Jersey independent schools each year.

“Despite their demanding academic coursework, athletic commitments and personal responsibilities, Newark Academy students embraced these AI projects with enthusiasm, driven by intellectual curiosity and passion for learning,” she said. “The opportunity to partner with these innovative thinkers has been a true privilege.”