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High School Grade  Project 5 weeks

nxtstp: San Diego's Student Adventure Hub

Glenn S
Feb 5, 2026
Updated Apr 9, 2026
Content Expertise
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Collaboration
Effective Communication
Academic Mindset
+ 1 more
1-pager

Purpose

Begin your project by reflecting on how to make internships, jobs, or volunteer opportunities readily accessible for high school students in San Diego. Collaborate with community partner Robert Harper to design an app or website that facilitates this access. Focus on developing your skills in website/app creation, communicating progress and gathering feedback from peers and mentors, while also considering innovative solutions to improve accessibility. Use the platform to connect with others, critique, revise, and ultimately present your finished product to students, educators, and parents in an exhibition that highlights your learning journey and the platform's impact.

Learning goals

You'll develop skills in app and website creation, focusing on user experience and interface design, with support from community partners like Robert Harper. Engage in critical thinking as you address how high school students can access and attain internships and jobs. Collaborate with your peers to co-design impactful projects and practice effective communication by presenting, sharing, and refining your work with feedback. Monitor your learning progress through self-directed strategies and reflection on your socio-emotional growth.

Competencies
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.

Products

Create a comprehensive app or website that facilitates access to internships, jobs, and volunteer opportunities for high school students in San Diego, ensuring it is user-friendly and robust. Develop tutorials that demonstrate your progress in creating technology-driven solutions and articulate this learning journey. Prepare an exhibition-worthy presentation that showcases your app/website, marketing it to a range of audiences, including students, teachers, and the community, to illustrate its impactful potential.

Launch

Kick off your project by attending a virtual panel discussion with professionals from local businesses and nonprofits who specialize in digital platforms and community engagement. Use this opportunity to gain insights on how these experts effectively connect students with opportunities. Begin brainstorming ideas for your app/website by documenting key takeaways from the discussion and reflecting on how these insights can inform your project design.

Exhibition

Host a community showcase event where you present your finalized app/website to an audience that includes fellow students, teachers, parents, and local community partners. Create interactive stations allowing attendees to explore the platform and provide real-time feedback. Consider live demonstrations and peer-led tutorials on how to navigate and utilize the platform, highlighting its impact on accessing internship and volunteering opportunities. Additionally, design a digital portfolio documenting your journey and learning process, which can be shared as part of the exhibition. Celebrate your achievements with a Q&A session, engaging the audience in a meaningful dialogue about your project and its future potential.

Plan
By Phase By Day Calendar
Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test/Present
Empathize
You will conduct interviews with fellow high school students, community mentors, and organizations to uncover their needs and challenges related to accessing internships, jobs, and volunteer opportunities, using these insights as the foundation for your solution.
Days 1 - 3
Kickoff Empathy Interviews with Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Document Early User Needs
Deliverable 90m
No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Edit Phase

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Define
You will synthesize your research by pinpointing specific challenges high school students in San Diego face when accessing internships, jobs, or volunteer opportunities and craft a concise problem statement that can guide the development of your app/website solution.
Days 4 - 6
Frame Access Challenges for Student Opportunities
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
POV and HMW Pack
Deliverable 60m
No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Edit Phase

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Ideate
You will brainstorm creative solutions to make internships and volunteer opportunities more accessible for San Diego high school students, working collaboratively with peers and engaging in constructive discussions while drawing inspiration from community partners and your mentor.
Days 7 - 10
Interview Mentors to Discover Access Gaps
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Translate Findings into User Needs Statements
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Empathy-Driven Concept Sketching
Deliverable 90m
Internship Access Concepts
Deliverable 60m
No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Edit Phase

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Prototype
You will develop a prototype of your app/website, engage in collaborative critique sessions with peers, mentors, and community partners to gather iterative feedback, and refine your solution based on practical insights and reflections to ensure its accessibility and effectiveness for high school students seeking opportunities.
Days 11 - 15
Structured Peer Feedback Prep for Prototype
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Iterate Prototype with Mentor Feedback
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Prototype Critique & Feedback Loop
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Prototype Iteration Sprint
Deliverable 90m
User Testing Playbook
Deliverable 60m
No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Edit Phase

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Test/Present
You will demonstrate the app/website to community partners, peers, and mentors, gather feedback for future refinement, and reflect on your learning and growth throughout the project while showcasing your solution’s real-world impact.
Days 16 - 20
Plan Partner Demo and Questions
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Create Structured Feedback Form for Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Implement UI/UX Improvements Based on Feedback
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Practice Run-Through with Community Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Reflection, Artifacts, and Assessment Prep
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Partners Demo and Feedback Reflection
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Final App Presentation
Assessment
No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Edit Phase

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Empathize Days 1–3
Day 1
Kickoff Empathy Interviews with Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Day 2
Document Early User Needs
Deliverable 90m
Day 3
Frame Access Challenges for Student Opportunities
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Define Days 4–6
Day 4
POV and HMW Pack
Deliverable 60m
Day 5
Interview Mentors to Discover Access Gaps
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Day 6
Translate Findings into User Needs Statements
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Ideate Days 7–10
Day 7
Empathy-Driven Concept Sketching
Deliverable 90m
Day 8
Internship Access Concepts
Deliverable 60m
Day 9
Structured Peer Feedback Prep for Prototype
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Day 10
Iterate Prototype with Mentor Feedback
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Prototype Days 11–15
Day 11
Prototype Critique & Feedback Loop
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Day 12
Prototype Iteration Sprint
Deliverable 90m
Day 13
User Testing Playbook
Deliverable 60m
Day 14
Plan Partner Demo and Questions
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Day 15
Create Structured Feedback Form for Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Test/Present Days 16–20
Day 16
Implement UI/UX Improvements Based on Feedback
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Day 17
Practice Run-Through with Community Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Day 18
Reflection, Artifacts, and Assessment Prep
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Day 19
Partners Demo and Feedback Reflection
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Day 20
Final App Presentation
Assessment

June 2026

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
1 Day 1
Empathize
Kickoff Empathy Interviews with Partners
2 Day 2
Document Early User Needs
3 Day 3
Frame Access Challenges for Student Opportunities
4 Day 4
Define
POV and HMW Pack
8 Day 5
Interview Mentors to Discover Access Gaps
9 Day 6
Translate Findings into User Needs Statements
10 Day 7
Ideate
Empathy-Driven Concept Sketching
11 Day 8
Internship Access Concepts
15 Day 9
Structured Peer Feedback Prep for Prototype
16 Day 10
Iterate Prototype with Mentor Feedback
17 Day 11
Prototype
Prototype Critique & Feedback Loop
18 Day 12
Prototype Iteration Sprint
22 Day 13
User Testing Playbook
23 Day 14
Plan Partner Demo and Questions
24 Day 15
Create Structured Feedback Form for Partners
25 Day 16
Test/Present
Implement UI/UX Improvements Based on Feedback

July 2026

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
29 Day 17
Practice Run-Through with Community Partners
30 Day 18
Reflection, Artifacts, and Assessment Prep
1 Day 19
Partners Demo and Feedback Reflection
2 Day 20
Final App Presentation
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