District News

A Bernardsville High School student has earned international recognition for her work in artificial intelligence, placing at the global level in one of the world’s largest youth AI competitions.

Senior Ria Lewis received a Global Silver Award at the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY), an international event that drew more than 132,000 students from over 103 countries. Her project, BridgeBot, was recognized in the Large Language Model (LLM) track, one of the competition’s most technically demanding categories.

BridgeBot is an AI-powered peaceful dialogue assistant designed to help young people navigate cross-cultural misunderstandings and polarized conversations. The system uses four distinct dialogue modules: Explain My Culture which helps users articulate cultural context without stereotyping; Reframe My Message which rewrites emotionally charged statements in neutral, respectful language; Perspective Switch which encourages understanding of alternative viewpoints; and Myth Buster which addresses misinformation while avoiding judgment or escalation. The project emphasizes safe, ethical, and empathetic AI responses rather than persuasion or debate. 

Lewis developed the project independently, drawing on her interests in computer science, engineering, and civic innovation. Her work was evaluated by an international panel of judges, and her award certificate was signed by Professor David S. Touretzky of Carnegie Mellon University, a nationally recognized computer science educator.

WAICY is considered one of the largest global platforms for youth engagement in applied artificial intelligence, emphasizing ethical technology use and real-world problem solving. Lewis’ achievement is an example of the growing presence of students on the global STEM stage and reflects increasing interest among young innovators in using technology to address complex social challenges.

Lewis has always loved to create and to build; but her work is equally shaped by a desire to bring positivity to others. Attentive to the world around her, she began to notice how misunderstandings rooted in religion, culture, and political beliefs often create unnecessary division, both locally and globally. This awareness led her to explore how artificial intelligence could be used for good to unite people, to welcome different perspectives, and to focus on peace.  

As her former AP Computer Science Principles teacher Lisa Camuto shared, “This achievement not only highlights Ria’s technical abilities, but also reflects her deep commitment to fostering understanding and meaningful dialogue in the world. She is genuinely dedicated to serving others - within her family, among her peers, and across the broader community - and this commitment inspires her ongoing efforts to make a lasting difference.”