Cocoa, Fla. — Can artificial intelligence help bridge the literacy gap affecting students across Florida? April Surac, a 17-year-old rising senior at West Orange High school in Orange County, is betting it can. Her innovative platform, Bookoli, leverages AI to identify reading challenges and provide personalized support to help students sharpen their literacy skills.

Bookoli, short for “Book: a Novel Computational augmentation for Literacy, Reading Comprehension, and Memory Retention,” began as a science fair project last September. It has as evolved into a program being tested in 10 schools. Surac’s work earned her the prestigious 2025 NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) Aspirations in Computing Award, a recognition given to only 40 high school students nationwide.

“When I first heard that I won the award, I was really shocked,” Surac said. “I was really shocked, but also relieved. I was surprised in a good way.”

With Bookoli and her future studies, Surac aims to continue addressing the critical need for improved literacy among students. According to the Florida Department of Education, literacy remains a key focus area, with ongoing efforts to enhance reading proficiency across all grade levels.

Science Fair Project Transforms into Award-Winning initiative

The genesis of Bookoli stemmed from Surac’s awareness of low literacy rates reflected in her school’s test scores. “I know that in my area where I go to school,notably in my county,50% of students perform below proficiency in reading,meaning our test scores aren’t really good,” she explained.

customary methods, such as weekly library visits and book reports, had not yielded meaningful improvements, prompting Surac to seek a more effective solution. This led to the creation of Bookoli, which uses AI to assess a user’s comprehension while they read, generating tailored questions to reinforce understanding.

“The aim of the platform is to get students to read full books and to also recall book details, develop their comprehension skills and make sure they’re staying focused,” Surac said. “We want to make them feel interested in that book.”

Brevard High Schooler Wins National AI Award
April Surac, 17, pictured in the Cocoa public library, has developed a reading program called Bookoli: a Novel Computational Augmentation for literacy, Reading Comprehension, and Memory Retention. She is the recipient of the NCWIT Aspiration in Computing Award. (Photo: FLORIDA TODAY)

Currently, Bookoli is undergoing testing with students, and Surac envisions launching it as a mobile application in the future. The $500 grant and a new Mac computer, awarded as part of the NCWIT recognition, will support her in expanding Bookoli’s reach and impact.

Surac attended the NCWIT award ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, in March. She found inspiration in connecting with fellow honorees. “A lot of them are going to top schools like MIT, and they were just incredible to hear from,” she said. “They all did really, really impactful projects, and they were also people of my age and they’re female …so it was just really inspiring to hear and then meeting those people, and as well as executives from companies.”

Advice for Teens: Seek Mentors and Embrace Opportunities

Beyond Bookoli,Surac has enterprising academic aspirations. She plans to major in electrical engineering and neuroscience at a top-tier engineering school. Though, her path hasn’t been without obstacles. Initially, she lacked a personal laptop and relied on her school’s computer to develop Bookoli. Moreover, her parents’ backgrounds are not in technology; her father is a carpenter, and her mother is a seamstress.

These circumstances initially made her apprehensive about embarking on such a complex project. “I felt like I didn’t have enough experience to make something of my own,” Surac admitted. “I didn’t have a team of people. I didn’t have a private mentor to teach me coding or to work with me on a project.”

Though, Surac demonstrated resourcefulness by connecting with another teen online who reviewed her code. “I asked him certain things about, like, how can I improve my platform?” she said. “and he looked at my code; we actually went on three calls together, and it was really helpful.”

Surac advises other students in similar situations to proactively seek mentors, whether at school or through professional networking platforms like LinkedIn.”If it’s your calling, or if it’s something you’re really passionate about, you’re going to be able to do it,” she said, emphasizing the importance of overcoming the fear of contacting professionals for guidance.

“if you don’t have mentors around, you can definitely reach toward the internet, which I think is what we take for granted, and you can get that opportunity.”