Put 28 exceptional graduates together and something extraordinary happens—assumptions crumble. During the program, our NobleReach Scholars don’t just network; they challenge each other on everything from AI’s creative potential to technology’s impact on blue-collar America. These aren’t polite academic discussions. They are intellectual collisions that forced our Scholars to defend positions, flip perspectives, and confront uncomfortable truths about the technology they’ll help govern. No professors moderating. No right answers provided. Just brilliant minds from different disciplines discovering that their fellow Scholars might be their most valuable teachers. Here’s how peer conversations transformed their worldviews in ways no lecture ever could.

Melissa Lopez-Barbosa, NobleReach Scholar ’25

I spoke with a fellow Scholar about their thoughts on cybersecurity and AI, which shifted my perspective from viewing AI as a significant risk to recognizing it as a tool that can be utilized for cybersecurity purposes and to help increase productivity in our organizations. Before this conversation, I felt conflicted on how AI, cybersecurity, and business could interact; after this conversation, my thinking is that we should utilize AI and integrate it into our organizational processes.

Keerthy Reddy, NobleReach Scholar ’25

I had a conversation with Minji, Micaela, Calvin, and Joann about whether AI can truly be creative and if AI-generated art should be considered legitimate art worthy of display in museums. I initially argued that AI could not be creative but quickly realized I didn’t have a strong example to back up my claim. That moment reminded me of our program coordinator Roberto Nieto’s advice not to make a claim unless I’m ready to argue it from the opposite perspective as well. Although our conversation never reached a firm conclusion, the discussion pushed me to think more deeply about what creativity means and how AI might contribute to shaping and organizing human ideas.

Ben Claflin, NobleReach Scholar ’25

My main topic of conversation throughout the bootcamp was how artificial intelligence is going to change the world. Everyone focuses on AGI, energy consumption, and conflict, but one of my fellow Scholars was focused on the impacts to the labor market. She highlighted how rapid developments in AI and robotics enable businesses to effectively cut-out blue collar workers. While advanced robotics will increase efficiency and minimize costs going forward, it risks leaving the working class behind. As the former ambassador of over 9,000 low-income undergraduate students, I frequently think about her comments.

Gregory Mitchell, NobleReach Scholar ’25

I had a few conversations with some exceptional and thoughtful Scholars about the need to think about equity and access regarding the benefits associated with Artificial Intelligence. We discussed the ‘last mile’ dilemma of technology and the risk of AI following this trend. As technologists, it’s easy to get excited about emerging technologies, but as public servants, it’s important to consider the consequences (good and bad) and their distributional effects.