Pacifica Stories

Aurora Malerba, rising senior, is a vibrant presence on campus known for the ways in which she cares for those around her. Whether it’s planning fun events for the Pacifica student body as the ASG Campus Activities Commissioner, contributing her thoughtful artwork and talent to our PACARTS program, or building out Mind Matters (the psychology club she founded this past year), she is deeply committed to the lifeblood of the school. 

Now, she’s taking this passion for others a step further. With the help of AI, Aurora has launched Psyche, a website where students can create and curate their own pseudonymous profile to journal, post discussions that are open to other student replies, and more. She designed the site as an online space for self-reflection, connection, and mental health support for teens in a world where it can feel paradoxically isolating amidst our digital age of connection.

“This project was created because I found that many students and teenagers do not have the support systems they need,” said Aurora. “Being a young adult is a very stressful time, and it can be hard to find a safe place for real support. Psyche is a place where teenagers are able to have an authentic safe space. It is important to me, because many times in my life I have faced struggles where I did not feel as though I had a place to talk about what I was going through. Psyche was created so that people who have faced similar situations can find comfort in whatever they are going through, big or small.”

However, Aurora was faced with a big problem when she began building this concept about six months ago. She had never taken a computer science class and did not have the skills necessary to actually create the website. Enter: AI. With the help of Replit, an AI tool that specifically targets website construction, Aurora has been able to get Psyche off the ground and out to more people as fast as possible. 

Pacifica math teacher Steve Eno has been there to mentor Aurora through the process of using AI for this project.

“Mr. Eno has been such an amazing mentor and teacher throughout this project,” said Aurora. “He has pushed me to think deeper and helped me with things I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own.”

As she develops Psyche, Aurora has found that another challenge is pushing the site out to her peers so that it becomes an authentic resource for others. However, she has enjoyed the process of brainstorming, thinking, and creating to bring this dream to life, and describes the challenges as “rewarding.” Aurora has hopes for the future of her project, and has seen the benefits of learning how to use AI as a tool to come alongside her own skills and ideas.

“AI is a big part of society nowadays, and it’s inevitable to encounter it in our modern world,” said Aurora. “Although it is a dangerous thing that can be abused, there are ways to use artificial intelligence in order to grow and create positive impacts in our world. I hope that Psyche will be able to help as many people as possible.”