At a youth forum held at Stanford University, 16-year-old Catherine from the Nueva School demonstrated how her generation navigates the AI era with remarkable balance. The event, part of the NEX-T initiative gathering next-generation voices, revealed her thoughtful integration of technology, psychology, and the arts.

While deeply engaged with AI as a daily tool for everything from language learning to data analysis, Catherine remains critically aware of its social impact. During the NEX-T discussions, she highlighted the "split mindset" her peers exhibit—expressing distrust toward AI while simultaneously depending on it for academic work. For Catherine, emotional intelligence and self-awareness represent essential human skills that technology cannot replicate, especially as AI reshapes how we learn and create.

Her vision for AI's potential is both practical and compassionate. She hopes advanced algorithms can accelerate medical breakthroughs for diseases like cancer, directly extending and improving human lives. When asked during the NEX-T forum whether AI will eventually surpass human intelligence, Catherine answered with a confident "Yes"—but her broader perspective suggests she believes our humanity will remain distinctly valuable.