From a seat at her kitchen table, California high school junior Ruiee Shih is cooking up what she calls her “next crazy idea.” “Sometimes they just pop in [my head], and I feel like they're possible. Then I just start working on them, and they expand into this whole thing that I feel like can help people.”
From an energy-harvesting shoe to her latest invention, a hot-car death prevention app for child caregivers, the Los Osos High School student’s brain is percolating with ideas to make the world a better place. “For me, all the stuff we learn in school and all the skills that we have [should] ultimately [be] used to help people.”
Ruiee is generally happy with the STEM offerings at her school, but has had to think outside the box to find more tailored offerings for her true passion, mechanical engineering.
“The courses that Los Osos offers are pretty relevant to the field I intend to go in, like AP chemistry and AP physics, which really helped me establish a foundation of knowledge that I can build all other skills on.”
But, she adds, “I do wish we had more hands-on courses that develop more skills specific to my career.” The course restrictions and graduation requirements, she says, “really kind of limit just how far you can expand your interest.”
Ruiee’s experience mirrors the findings of the latest Voices of Gen Z Study, an annual survey from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation designed to better understand Gen Z’s unique perspectives, including the ambitions and challenges shaping this generation.
The latest findings show that while Gen Z students remain optimistic about their futures, too many still lack the belonging, engagement and personalized support needed to turn that optimism into opportunity. Students with the strongest experiences of engagement, support and belonging are far more likely to feel prepared for the future than those with the fewest, 81% compared with 27%.
And, nearly half say school does not give them opportunities to do what they do best. Three in 10 say they do not have an adult at school who recognizes their talents and interests, and one in three does not feel like they belong.
To supplement her educational experience, Ruiee founded a Science Fair Club at the high school where students can research, create and share their STEM inventions. She has also been heavily involved with Girls Who Code, and takes dual-enrollment coursework in networking, 3D design, modeling and drafting at Chaffey, the local community college.
For Ruiee, her interest in STEM didn’t begin until the eighth grade, when a teacher sparked in her the idea of harnessing human energy. “I actually wanted to be a poet, so now I tell a lot of kids who are trying to figure out exactly where they want to go, just pay attention in class. There's always something you can learn there that just might inspire you, and that might lead to that spark of passion.”
Across the country in North Philadephia, 17-year-old Jonathan Brown is a rising senior at Franklin Learning Center.
Growing up, Jonathan was fascinated by construction – from actual buildings, to Lego creations, to virtual worlds in Minecraft. Today, he is focused on construction of a more digital nature – coding.
Of coding, Jonathan says that “when it comes to the finished product, it does take a lot of patience, especially when your code does not work and you have to troubleshoot every single line just to find the problem and to fix it. But it's a fun process.”
When he graduates, Jonathan wants to become a software developer, building the user design for games and platforms like social media.
To reach these future goals, Jonathan works with LaunchPad, a nonprofit tech incubator that helps students prepare for careers in tech, including how to build apps, programs, websites and more, all with the help of AI.
Jonathan was referred to the program by his high school computer science teacher. “It interested me, and I found out that it would segway into a full-time job, which I really wanted. They have a program called Lift Off, which is similar to a full-time job when you graduate. They pay you to make websites for clients and after that, will set you up with a job.”
But before Jonathan begins his post-high school apprenticeship, he and his cohort must take the stage for a pitch competition to local entrepreneurs and peers. His idea? A website that instructs people how to build a PC from scratch. “LaunchPad is a really nice, welcoming place. You are going to meet a lot of new people…a lot of entrepreneurs who started from the same place that I have.”
For students like Ruiee and Jonathan, education is the engine of opportunity, expanding what young people can imagine for themselves, and what they are able to become.
Back in California, Ruiee says she is “very optimistic,” about the future, adding that “as long as I work hard enough and I try hard enough and put in the effort, I feel like I can succeed.”
For now, Ruiee plans to graduate from high school while completing additional coursework. before applying to a four-year university. As for where? “I’m looking at the UC system, but who knows, if I’m feeling brave, maybe even MIT.”
Wherever she ends up, for Ruiee, “Learning for me isn't just a chore. It's a very enjoyable experience. That's why I take on all these side projects, because I feel like learning just enriches my entire life. It gives me more power to do what I want to do in the future.”
