Adonis Garcia

Global Challenge: Advancing personalized learning through AI-powered tools that adapt to how students actually learn, closing educational gaps regardless of background.

Abstract:

Quality education should not depend on where you are born or how much money your family has. Yet 251 million children worldwide remain out of school, and 70% of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text by age 10. Even students who make it to college often struggle not because they lack ability, but because the way they are taught does not match how they learn. This is a problem I have watched unfold in classrooms, office hours, and mentoring sessions throughout my time at NYU.

My research explores whether artificial intelligence can help close this gap. I am building two tools that attempt to make education more adaptive. The first is a learning platform for introductory computer science that generates examples based on what students actually care about. A student interested in music learns loops through playlist code. A student passionate about climate learns the same concept through environmental data. The idea is simple: the concept stays the same, but the entry point changes. The second tool is a question-and-answer system for first-year engineering students that provides instant, accurate answers from course materials while showing instructors where students struggle most.

Neither tool will solve educational inequality. That would require systemic change far beyond any technology. But thoughtfully designed AI can scale the kind of personalized support that currently only privileged students receive. My goal is to expand access at the margins, reaching students who have the potential but not the resources, and building tools that meet them where they are.

Bio:

Adonis Garcia graduated from NYU Tandon School of Engineering in 2026 with a B.S. in Computer Science, a minor in Mathematics, and a 4.0 GPA. A first-generation college student from the South Bronx, he entered NYU through the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and became a GLASS Honors scholar focused on using AI to advance personalized learning and reduce educational inequity.

During his time at NYU, Adonis studied abroad at NYU Abu Dhabi twice, spent a J-term in Seoul, and volunteered in Sri Lanka, experiences that shaped his belief that technology must adapt to people, not the other way around. He interned at Polydelta AI as an AI Software Engineer, Bank of America as a Software Engineer, and worked as an Applied AI Engineer at Mission ML, building rapidly prototyped tools for federal stakeholders. His senior capstone, which were two independent study projects supervised by Tandon faculty, explored AI-powered educational tools: a personalized CS learning platform and a RAG-based Q&A system for first-year engineering students.

On campus, Adonis founded the NYU Tandon Gentlemen of Quality mentorship program, chaired the CS Initiative Committee reaching 200+ underrepresented students, served as a Teaching Assistant and AAP mentor, and held leadership roles in SHPE, HEOP, and the Bella Quisqueya Dominican Club. He was recognized as AAP Scholar of the Year, AAP Sophomore of the Year, and a Google SWEP Fellow.

Adonis is now pursuing his goal of becoming a tech CEO, building AI responsibly and for good. He carries with him a simple question that guided his undergraduate years: Will this help someone?fff