From the DMV Line to the Governor’s Office

In this episode of Kinwise: AI Insights for Education Leaders, host Lydia Kumar sits down with the Pine Lakers,  Aankan Das, Gillian Keith, Prakyath Shankar, and Cooper Brown, second-place finishers in North Carolina's first-ever AI Solve-a-Thon and students at Pine Lake Preparatory School in Mooresville. What began as a resume builder turned into a real working app, real conversations with state officials, and a real shot at changing how North Carolinians experience the DMV. Key Takeaways for Education Leaders A real problem makes all the difference. Prakyath's frustrating four-hour DMV visit became the spark for the entire project. When students are solving problems they've actually lived, the motivation is built in. Vibe coding has a low floor and a high ceiling. The team started with Playlab because it was accessible, then leveled up to Base44 for more advanced development. The platform even guided them on which AI model to use for which task . Working with government is slow, but possible. As the only Solve-a-Thon team tackling a government agency, the Pine Lakers have had to think differently about implementation. Rather than waiting for a full rollout, they've been sharing code segments and ideas with DMV officials, letting their work shape a larger ongoing initiative. Blocking AI doesn't make students safer, but it does make cheating more appealing. As Gillian said: framing AI as the enemy just drives students toward unethical use.  The teacher who connects students to opportunities changes everything. Ms. Riley came up in nearly every answer. Her approach, independent thinking, creative project choice, mental check-ins, and a sharp eye for matching students to outside opportunities, is a model for what AI-integrated teaching can look like. These students are thinking about AI's future more clearly than most adults. From job displacement to data privacy to environmental concerns, the Pine Lakers arrived at nuanced, grounded perspectives.