Looking back at the long list of pages on Canvas, I feel so accomplished about finishing the Design Thinking into Action: Teen Wellbeing course. From the first “Introduce Yourself” video we filmed, edited, and shared with our classmates, to the final prototype presentation, every module showed me a different way to think about teen wellbeing and how our skills could create real, meaningful change. 

What made this course so special was that learning wasn’t restricted to the weekly virtual classes. The resource pages for each module on Canvas created a great balance between theory and practice, input and output. We learned about topics like the teenage brain, managing academic stress, creating a body map, and purpose learning. We didn’t just write essays as in a traditional class. We created prototypes with step-by-step exercises leading up to our final project. My favorite part was the design thinking process: empathizing with a real person, defining a need statement, brainstorming wildly, prototyping, and iterating based on feedback. The prototype I created, called the “Dream Door,” was designed for a friend who feels lonely and disconnected from peers and frustrated by surface-level conversations. The “Dream Door” is a small box with a bell and color-coded prompts to help her start deeper conversations with classmates. While creating the prop for my friend, I also learned to solve my own wellbeing challenges through the same process. When I gifted the finished product to my friend, her excited reaction felt better than any grade. That’s the magic of this design thinking course. When we truly empathize with someone, understand their needs, and listen to their feedback, we can see the physical results our ideas have on them. 

I participated in this course during a particularly challenging time. When the course began, I was overseas for an exchange program. Then I returned to China to prepare for AP exams, which felt like an ever-present gray cloud looming over me. Instead of adding to my stress, this course helped me navigate it more clearly. One of my favorite classes with a Stanford scholar, Dr. Cari Costanzo, combined anthropology with our connection to our bodies through an exercise called body mapping, a creative and reflective piece of art that pushed us to reflect on important aspects of our lives. When I added drawings of the AP exams in the thought bubble above my head on my body map, I realized they were my current, main priority. In this course I also learned that the concept of “failing forward” and pacing ourselves aren’t just nice ideas; they are ways to sustain our busy lives. After the Stanford e-China course ended, as I was taking an exam back in my regular school in China, I wrote about the concept of “failing forward” in my essay. I literally smiled in the middle of the exam because I was so excited to apply what I’d learned. 

I also loved the small, surprising moments, like drawing my body map and realizing I could create a stickman with my arms and legs because I’ve been drawing them since primary school. I also loved writing a reflection of my views on life and education and noticing that my love for roller coasters and seeking thrilling experiences actually drives how I approach learning. 

I left this course with a toolbox I’ll use for life, for studying, for friendships, for future projects. I’m leaving with gratitude. Thank you to Stefanie Orrick, Carey Moncaster, and the whole Stanford e-China team for creating a space where teenagers can be creative, vulnerable, and ambitious all at once. 

Innovating Wellbeing: Human-Centered Design in the AI Era (formerly Design Thinking into Action: Teen Wellbeing) is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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