Future of Education Podcast S2E255: Turning Class Time Into Career Time: A Conversation With Student CEO Elle
Aug 22, 2025
A teen CEO discusses how a unique learning environment helped her craft an AI-powered dating advice app for teens. The conversation dives into how high school students balance academics with creative pursuits and the challenges of modern dating shaped by social media. Amid the complexities of superficial connections, the app emphasizes healthy relationships and communication skills. The discussion also highlights the importance of entrepreneurial experiences in high school, promoting personal growth over traditional college pressures.
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Students Control Their Schedules
- Elle and classmates front-load academics to free time for big projects and events.
- They sometimes work ten-hour days to finish school early and attend external commitments together.
Guides Replace Traditional Teaching
- Alpha's guides act as supportive coaches rather than traditional grading teachers.
- That guidance teaches students how to learn independently and emotionally manage ambitious projects.
Ask Elle: A Teen Dating App
- Elle is building an AI-powered safe teen dating coach called Ask Elle as her Olympic-level masterpiece.
- She describes teen dating as currently unsafe and declining due to social media and COVID disruptions.