Inspiration
We noticed how many high school students feel overwhelmed or uncertain about their future. Whether it’s choosing the right courses, finding meaningful extracurriculars, or deciding on a major, many teens lack the guidance they need during these crucial years. We wanted to create a platform that brings clarity, sparks curiosity, and supports informed decision-making early on. That’s how MapWise came to be—a tool designed to empower students to explore their potential paths before they feel the pressure of standardized tests or college applications.
What It Does
MapWise is an AI-powered platform that helps students, starting as early as 9th grade, to discover and pursue educational and career paths in a strategic, personalized manner. It generates customized roadmaps that highlight recommended courses, extracurriculars, potential colleges, and career fields. Students receive interactive suggestions, real-time insights, and a guided timeline of important milestones so that they can make proactive decisions—whether that’s applying for a summer program or simply exploring different interests.
How We Built It
We combined AI models with a React + TypeScript (or React Native, if you want a cross-platform experience) frontend to create a user-friendly system. Our backend integrates with a database that stores school courses, extracurriculars, and career data tagged by competencies or interests. The AI system uses these tags plus user profile information (interests, strengths, test scores) to recommend ideal pathways. We then surface these suggestions via a responsive, mobile-first interface that allows students to explore, update preferences, and see real-time changes to their future plans.
Challenges We Ran Into
One major challenge was balancing the depth of AI-driven insights with an interface that remains understandable and engaging for teenagers. We also grappled with ensuring the suggestions are genuinely diverse—meaning the platform could accommodate students of varying academic levels, personal interests, and cultural contexts without overwhelming them. Lastly, handling personal data responsibly called for thorough considerations around security and privacy at every step of the design.
Accomplishments That We're Proud Of
We’re especially proud that MapWise can simplify an intimidating process—college and career planning—and turn it into something more approachable. Our AI engine personalizes recommendations so that students can discover unfamiliar fields they might not have considered otherwise. We’re also proud of how scalable our infrastructure is, enabling new schools or educational organizations to integrate and expand the breadth of majors, careers, and learning opportunities available on the platform.
What We Learned
Building MapWise taught us to approach educational tools from multiple perspectives—students, parents, and counselors each have unique pain points. We learned to translate complex AI outputs into user-friendly roadmaps that encourage reflection and autonomy. We also gained insight into the importance of early intervention; providing meaningful guidance even before the pressure of senior year makes a huge difference in shaping a confident, well-rounded student.
What's Next for FutureMap
Moving forward, we want to introduce an AI “career mentor” that students can talk to in real time, similar to a personal counselor but available on-demand. We’ll continue refining our recommendation algorithms to detect each student’s evolving interests, ensuring timely and relevant suggestions. We also plan to add a “portfolio builder” feature, guiding students to document their projects and extracurriculars for college applications. And finally, we aim to bring the platform to international schools, adapting to different curricula and career landscapes so that more learners worldwide can benefit from FutureMap.
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