What happens when high school kids actually have time to pursue their passions and interests, instead of sitting in class or slaving over homework? I’ll tell you what happens: incredible things. Welcome to the AlphaX Project. This is Alex’s story.
Every time I talk to Alex, I’m blown away. His people skills, his charisma, his zest for life — these are qualities we don’t associate with teenagers. Normally, we focus on the moodiness, the angsty-ness, the underdeveloped frontal lobes.
I’ll go ahead and say it: what a load of crap.
When placed in the right environment, kids truly are limitless. Alex is proof. Not only is he one of the smartest, most well-spoken teens I’ve ever met, Alex is building something extraordinary: a neuroscience tech startup designed to solve the teen mental health epidemic.
In his own words:
“”I am revolutionizing mental health care by creating AI-powered plushies that provide personalized emotional assistance, improving the mental well-being of 1 billion pre-teens and teens worldwide.”
Before Alpha, Alex went to a “successful” school — and was still miserable
Now, let’s rewind.
Before he came to Alpha High, Alex was…stressed. Like, grown-man-working-a-9-5 type of stressed. His old school was a public magnet school. Top 35 in the nation. An extremely impressive institution with rigorous academics.
“I spent 8 hours a day in class and at least 4 hours a night doing homework,” he told me. “I was getting 3-5 hours of sleep each night. I had no time for things I enjoyed: for passion projects, for friends, for sleep. It was a struggle. It was very unpleasant.”
For months, Alex begged his parents to let him switch to Alpha. They were skeptical, of course. Their son attended one of the top performing schools in the country. Who in their right mind would enroll him into an “experimental” school that doesn’t even follow a traditional model?
But Alex was miserable. He didn’t let up. And eventually, they made a difficult decision: to trust their teenage son.
And it paid off in ways better than they ever could have imagined.
“At Alpha, I can do in 3 hours what once took me 12,” Alex said. “The amount of time it takes to complete one unit with our learning apps is absolutely insane to me. I would usually spend weeks, or even months, on a single unit. At Alpha, I complete a single unit within a couple days.
“I can literally do my AP U.S. History 2–3X faster than I did at my old school.”
Academics are great, but AlphaX changes everything
For Alex, the best part about Alpha isn’t the speed or the academics.
It’s the time back.
With so much time freed up, how does Alex spend the rest of his day?
Passion projects.
Our high school students are able to spend their afternoons working on a project they’re really interested in and excited about. This project is called The AlphaX Project: the intersection of their passions and talents. Most importantly, it’s an “Olympic-level” endeavor, a project that elicits outcomes as impressive as being an Olympian.
This is where Alex’s passions, talents, and natural charisma all coalesce.
Meet Berry: the project that couldn’t exist in a traditional school
He’s building Berry, an AI-powered plushie line for teen mental health. The goal? “Help build up every teen’s self-awareness, so later in life, it’s easier to reframe their thinking.”
But Berry isn’t just *any* talking stuffed animal.
Berry’s AI microchip is trained on highly-vetted information from professional therapists and psychologists. And it’s a closed loop. Which means, Berry doesn’t pull “advice” from random Reddit threads on the internet. It looks inward, at its own library of vetted data, to provide action items you would receive in an actual therapy session.
Alex’s passion for therapy runs deep:
“When I was younger, I went to therapy and didn’t find it useful. I had a hard time staying accountable after the session. Plus, it’s expensive. ($150-$200 an hour!) Fast forward to when I was super stressed at my old school — I’m stressed, all my friends are stressed, and I start thinking: how could I build something that is less stigmatized and more accessible than actual therapy?”
There’s no doubt that teen mental health is an epidemic. But Alex doesn’t want to cut therapists from their job — he wants to provide more therapy, and more types of therapy, to more people.
“I believe the combination of LLMs and transitional objects, like stuffed animals, can actually be more effective than going to therapy. That doesn’t mean I want to cut therapists from their job. There are so many different types of therapy. But there are also many gaps in therapy. There’s an actionability gap. It was hard for me, and many others, to stay accountable after therapy and take action.”
But why a talking stuffed animal?
I’m sure we all knew someone (or have been there ourselves) as a kid who couldn’t bear to leave their stuffed animal in the other room. Stuffed animals are famous for being their own form of therapy. Seriously — there’s neuroscience about why stuffed animals provide warmth and comfort, especially to teens. Alex wants to harness this and turn it into actual therapy.
Which means, therapists can use these plushies with their patients.
Imagine your kid receives some great advice from their therapist. Then, late at night, they’re snuggled up with Berry, stressed about a test or a social situation at school. Instead of spiraling, they can prompt Berry to remind them what was talked about in their therapy session. Berry can provide the action items they need to help regulate their emotions and hold themselves accountable.
Building Berry: What Alex’s life looks like now
Since leaving his old school and joining Alpha, Alex’s afternoons look wildly different, in the best way possible.
He’s partnering with influencers. Manufacturing prototypes. Grabbing coffee with VCs. Working to secure a partnership with Build-A-Bear. Cold emailing names like Sahil Bloom and Dan Shipper (and getting replies!).
“At my old school, I was chained to my work,” Alex said. “I felt like a 40-year-old man working a 9-5 and then some. I didn’t sleep. I was constantly stressed. Now, I can do all my academics in 3 hours and I’m working on things I actually care about.
“I can’t stop thinking about my AlphaX Project — in a good way!”
What makes Alpha so different?
I asked Alex what makes this possible at Alpha. What’s so different about our school?
He gave two reasons.
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Alpha’s belief that kids are limitless. The students, guides, and staff are all on the same page: no goal is too lofty. Will it be hard? Sure. Is success guaranteed? Never. But no one at Alpha is going to laugh at you for being a “try-hard.” Instead, they’re going to say, “Cool. How can we make it happen?”
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The quality of Alpha’s mentorship. Our guides have 10x the impact that traditional teachers can have — because we’ve reimagined their role entirely. Instead of lecturing, they mentor. “High standards, high support” is their mantra.
Traditional school leaves teens anxious, insecure, status-obsessed, and socially constrained — the exact problems Alex is trying to fix with Berry. Alpha, by contrast, removes those pressure loops and creates an ecosystem where teens can pursue real passions and solve real problems, even ones they’ve lived through. Especially those.
Alex’s story shows what can happen when you remove kids from the traditional school pressure cooker and give them time, mentorship, and autonomy.
While traditional schools create insecurity, Alpha creates identity.
And when kids know who they are, they can build things that change the world.
Follow along with Alex’s journey building Berry on X.
