Adrenaline overtook me as I stepped into the bustling banquet room where the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Undergraduate Research Symposium was in full swing. Rows on rows of posters; a diversity of topics spread throughout; students eagerly practicing their presentations. A few months earlier, I would have never seen myself standing here.

February 2023 marked the beginning of my exploration into artificial intelligence. It was a revelation. At the time, my perception of artificial intelligence was clouded by negative stories.
“Artificial Intelligence Will Ruin Lives!”
“Your Job is at Risk! Thank Artificial Intelligence.”
“Beware of a New Danger: Artificial Intelligence”

While I originally wanted to learn the mechanics, I could not help but wonder if there was anything positive about these technologies. It did not take long for me to figure out that there are.

Many claim artificial intelligence will ruin lives, but not many realize how many lives it will save. I witnessed firsthand how professionals harnessed artificial intelligence to revolutionize medicine and improve patient outcomes. The sheer potential of this technology to benefit society amazed me, and my fascination grew with every fact. My experience was truly transformative, igniting a passion I had not expected.
As I delved deeper, it became evident that my future lay in artificial intelligence implementation and development, particularly in the medical field–inspired by the idea that my work could contribute to expanding human knowledge while genuinely benefiting society.

During this time, if I chose to prioritize standardized testing over doing research, I would never have gained the experience and knowledge necessary to lead me into my future career. With the recent prominence of standardized testing for college admissions, many students find themselves working for a number rather than their future. While a great test score can open lots of opportunities for getting into college, it leaves students lost when it gets time for them to figure out what they want to do since they were not thinking about what they learned in class that interested them the most.

Students are missing out on vital learning in order to succeed on their standardized tests. In reality, by learning, they should be acing these tests. After my research on artificial intelligence and dedicating extra time towards my computer science class, I ended up earning a 5 on the AP Computer Science Principles exam. Undoubtedly, standardized tests have been hindering learning in the classroom, leading to students real potential not being reflected in their college applications.