Arizona Student Teams Build AI Tools to Strengthen Executive Function Skills Beyond College
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If you’ve watched your child benefit from school accommodations only to wonder what happens when that support disappears after graduation, you’re far from alone. That concern is exactly why more than 90 Arizona college students spent five intense days building something that could change everything. The Arizona AI Challenge asked these young innovators to solve a problem parents know too well: the gap between structured school support and the unstructured demands of adult life.
TL;DR
Arizona State University's Spark Center for Innovation in Learning hosted a hackathon where 90+ students built AI tools for neurodivergent learners.
Two finalist teams created AI assistants that break tasks into manageable steps to support executive function development after college.
The challenge addresses a real problem: school accommodations disappear at graduation, leaving young adults without support structures.
Finalists will compete at the ASU+GSV Summit in April 2026 for $15,000 seed funding, with OpenAI and Microsoft providing development support.
Student Teams Create Practical AI Assistants
The Arizona AI Challenge, sponsored by ASU’s Spark Center for Innovation in Learning, brought together 20 teams to prototype AI tools designed to help young adults with different thinking styles develop executive function capabilities after college. Two finalist teams emerged from the November hackathon, each winning $5,000 and advancing to the Global AI Challenge with finals at the ASU+GSV Summit in April 2026.
Team Capstone created Nerva, an AI assistant that breaks tasks into manageable chunks, schedules each step, and provides supportive feedback. The tool even includes interactive journaling that personalizes responses—during demonstrations, Nerva asked users if they wanted Beatles music to help them focus. Team Vertex AI built Navia, which uses micro-action breakdowns (like “gather ingredients,” “prepare ingredients,” “cook the meal”) and includes a peer-matching network to build community support.
Jacob Kuriakose, a data science graduate student and AI architect on Team Vertex AI, described the motivation: “Many of us have friends or classmates who are neurodivergent and rely heavily on campus accommodations to stay organized and succeed. And the moment they graduate, all of that disappears. So when we read the challenge description, it felt like an opportunity to build something truly meaningful.”
The challenge addresses a reality that frustrates parents and young adults alike: students who receive accommodations throughout school often find themselves without any support structure the moment they receive their diplomas. Executive function skills—the mental capabilities that help us start tasks, stay organized, manage time, and complete projects—don’t magically appear at graduation.
Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who founded the Spark Center for Innovation in Learning earlier this year, drew on her experience as an elementary school social worker. “I saw teachers in overcrowded classrooms with not enough of the tools and skills they needed to meet the very specific educational needs of every student,” she said. “Instead of, ‘We want to figure out how to have you behave better in the classroom or get you to do the worksheet,’ I want to figure out how we help these kids grow to be everything that their potential allows them to be.”
Author Quote"
Many of us have friends or classmates who are neurodivergent and rely heavily on campus accommodations to stay organized and succeed. And the moment they graduate, all of that disappears. So when we read the challenge description, it felt like an opportunity to build something truly meaningful. — Jacob Kuriakose, Data Science Graduate Student, Team Vertex AI
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AI as a Tool for Skill Development
What makes these student-created tools particularly promising is their focus on building capabilities rather than simply managing symptoms. Both Nerva and Navia work by breaking complex tasks into smaller, achievable steps—the same approach that research shows helps develop executive function skills at any age.
Sinema highlighted the broader potential: “You could use AI as a tool to identify a student who is developing reading skills very early on, long before reading even begins. Or help students who may be on the spectrum use AI to interact in a way that is most appropriate for them to communicate.” OpenAI and Microsoft have committed to helping the finalists develop their projects further, with the goal of creating tools that reach families and schools.
The competition also included a second-place team from South Mountain Community College, whose “Start Buddy” app specifically supports young adults developing organizational and task-initiation skills. This variety of approaches suggests the innovation space for supporting different learners is wide open.
Key Takeaways:
1
90+ students competed in five-day challenge: Arizona college students from ASU and community colleges prototyped AI tools to help neurodivergent young adults develop executive function skills after graduation.
2
Two tools focus on task breakdown: Winning apps Nerva and Navia both break complex tasks into micro-actions and provide personalized support, addressing the gap when school accommodations end.
3
Finals at ASU+GSV Summit in April: Finalists will compete for $15,000 seed funding with OpenAI and Microsoft support to bring these tools to families and schools.
What This Means for Families
The two finalist teams will refine their prototypes for the Global AI Challenge, competing for the Sinema Student Prize—a $15,000 seed fund to bring their tools to market. All Arizona AI Challenge participants can continue developing their projects through ASU’s Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, with mentoring support and funding opportunities.
For parents, this development signals growing recognition that the support gap after formal schooling needs real solutions. These tools aren’t meant to replace the skill-building work that families can do at home—research consistently shows that executive function capabilities can be strengthened through targeted practice. Instead, they represent additional support for young adults navigating a world that doesn’t always accommodate different ways of thinking.
Stevie Cervantes, a computer systems engineering senior on Team Capstone, captured the entrepreneurial spirit: “The biggest non-technical takeaway is the entrepreneurial aspect, which is so fascinating because we don’t learn that as engineers. I’m really excited to see where this product goes.”
Author Quote"
Instead of, ‘We want to figure out how to have you behave better in the classroom or get you to do the worksheet,’ I want to figure out how we help these kids grow to be everything that their potential allows them to be. — Kyrsten Sinema, Former U.S. Senator and Founder of ASU Spark Center for Innovation in Learning
"
Every child’s brain can change and grow—that’s not wishful thinking, it’s neuroscience. Yet the system often settles for labels and accommodations rather than actually building the skills our kids need. When those accommodations disappear at graduation, young adults are left without the capabilities they need to thrive. The good news? Executive function skills can be developed at any age with the right approach. If you’re ready to stop waiting for schools or apps to solve this for your family, the Learning Success All Access Program offers a free trial that includes a personalized Action Plan—and you keep that plan even if you decide it’s not the right fit.
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