Preparing Kids for College & Careers in AI Era | McLean, VA | May 18, 2025

As AI rapidly reshapes education and the workforce, traditional measures of success—like GPAs, test scores, and even technical skills—are no longer enough. So how can students succeed in college admissions and future careers when automation is rewriting the rules? The real answer begins far before high school—and it isn’t what you think.

In this talk, Prof. Loh challenges conventional wisdom and introduces a fresh approach to preparing students for the AI-driven world. He will reveal:

• Why excelling in math and academics alone won’t secure college admission—and what those colleges really seek.
• How to authentically develop human skills like creativity, adaptability, communication, and leadership—people who are indistinguishable from robots will be replaced by robots.
• Simple, effective ways for students to start building these future-proof skills today, even in elementary and middle school.

The speaker, Po-Shen Loh, has traveled to over 100 cities in recent years, delivering talks on this topic and gaining insights from diverse audiences—a tour that was even featured by .

Po-Shen Loh is a social entrepreneur and inventor working across mathematics, education, and healthcare. He is a math professor at Carnegie Mellon University and the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team. He has pioneered innovations ranging from a scalable way for people to learn challenging math live online from brilliant people to a new way to control pandemics by leveraging self-interest.

He has earned distinctions ranging from an International Mathematical Olympiad silver medal to the USA Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. He was the coach of Carnegie Mellon University’s math team when it achieved its first-ever #1 rank among all North American universities, and the coach of the USA Math Olympiad team when it achieved its first-ever back-to-back #1-rank victories in 2015 and 2016, and then again in 2018 and 2019. He featured in or co-created videos totaling over 21 million YouTube views.

Po-Shen received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Caltech in 2004, graduating with the highest GPA in his class. He received a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 2005, where he was supported by a Winston Churchill Foundation Scholarship. He continued his studies at Princeton, supported by a Hertz Foundation Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, where he completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the end of 2009, and has been on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University ever since.

Penthouse, 1676 International Dr, McLean, VA 22102

GPS coordinates for the event:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/RY5MJLu3jFXkvVqR9

Click on the GPS coordinates (or texts highlighted in blue) to view them in Google Maps.

The recommended parking lot next to the venue building can be found here: Parking Lot.

Parking is free on Sunday, including spaces marked as reserved or with 1-hour limits. The lot outside the gym will also be free, as the barrier will be raised for the entire day. If those lots are full, additional free parking is available across the street at Tysons Galleria.

Most of Prof. Loh's public outreach, including this event, is sponsored by LIVE, by Po-Shen Loh. It is also proudly supported by the Tsinghua University Alumni Association in Greater Washington DC (大华府清华校友会) and the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association in Greater Washington DC (大華府玉山科技協會).

Info: An open and dynamic Q&A session for parents and students on any topic.

Also check out other Kids events & activities in McLean, Business events in McLean, Workshops in McLean.