Building with Youth180
Since 2019, Youth180 has shipped scrappy, user-tested tools that help students and early-career talent explore, prepare, and get hired. Below is a snapshot of products we built, what they do, and the impact so far.
Futerview — AI Practice for Real Interviews
Mock interviews with an AI coach so candidates can rehearse answers, pacing, and delivery on demand. Built to reduce anxiety and improve structure for first-time interviewees.
Stack: React, Chakra UI, Firebase, AssemblyAI (speech), and lightweight Node services.
Why it matters: Interview prep is often inaccessible. Futerview turns spare minutes into focused reps,
with structured prompts and instant feedback to build confidence.
Devpost case study · Demo video
Robota — Skill-Based Job Matching
A screening and matching tool that connects vetted candidates with vetted employers using ontology-aided, rules-based recommendations.
- Problem: Early-career candidates struggle to find roles aligned to skills; employers drown in unqualified applications.
- Approach: Standardized profiles, verification, and skill/role taxonomies to improve match quality.
- Stack: React + TypeScript, Django/Python, GCP, Netlify, Bootstrap.
North Star — Personalized Learning Recommendations
A constellation-themed web app that recommends books, films, and music for STEM curiosity, blending a Dialogflow-powered chatbot with media APIs for discoverability.
Stack: React, Dialogflow, Google Cloud, Google Books API, IMDb/Spotify integrations, Figma.
Notes: The live chatbot requires cloud credits; the UI remains viewable.
Devpost case study · Project UI
Distribution & Community
- Youth180 website: 95,000+ views sharing opportunities, lessons, and tools.
- Social: TikTok community of ~6,000 followers amplifying access to resources and insights.
- Workshops & talks: Career prep, digital skills, and peer mentoring with schools and clubs.
How We Work
- User-first scope: Start with a single painful moment (e.g., “I don’t know how to answer behavioral questions”), then prototype to reduce that friction.
- AI as leverage: Use the smallest viable model/service to deliver value (Dialogflow, AssemblyAI, LLM routing) with guardrails and evaluation.
- Design craft: Mobile-first layouts, readable type, clear microcopy, and accessibility checks (contrast, labels, keyboard paths).
- Fast loops: Ship in days, measure, iterate. Document trade-offs and learn in public.
Youth180 — Vision & Pitch
Youth180 is a community and toolkit helping young people take agency over their futures—pursuing opportunities, leading initiatives, and doing great work. We prototype end-to-end experiences from learning to interviewing to placement, and we keep what proves useful.
Note: Some prototypes may be paused due to cloud/API limits; demos and case studies remain available.
Mentorship
I offer mentorship for students, new grads, and early-career professionals on career planning, networking, interview prep, and breaking into tech. So far, I’ve mentored over 580 students and professionals.
Devpost Software Portfolio
Projects & Videos
Highlights include awards across accessibility, AI, finance, and community impact.
Impact at a Glance
- Shipped real products used by students preparing for interviews, job search, and learning.
- Leveraged AI (speech-to-text, LLMs, Dialogflow, recommendation APIs) to solve practical problems.
- Sweated the details on design, accessibility, and onboarding to reduce friction.
- Thrived in ambiguity—iterated quickly through hackathons, pilots, and live user feedback.
- Coachable & curious—partnered with mentors, shipped, learned, and shipped again.
Thanks
To every student, mentor, and teammate who tested, critiqued, and shipped with us—thank you. We’ll keep building tools that make the path to meaningful work clearer and more equitable.
- Grace