ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Sometimes, in education, all it takes is a little inspiration to help breed success. That, and a different approach to learning. A growing program in the Rochester city schools helps students overcome obstacles by creating comic books where they are the superheroes.

They are stories deserving of a celebration. Students starring as their own comic book heroes, with assistance from AI.

Nearly 130 kids from various schools in Rochester took part in the program, a collaboration between students, teachers, the library and Cooley Comics, which promotes storytelling, creativity and personal growth through its AI comics lab.

“This has been a really fun process,” said Jeff Bostic, as he hosted a celebration of the student achievements at Rochester Public Library.  

“We’re here today to highlight them, empower them, show them that they matter,” said Chris Cooley, founder of Cooley Comics. “And that there is a lot of value in them sharing their stories.”

The stories are part of the process. Bostic is digital media associate at Rochester Central Library, who helped the kids develop their characters.

“The more kids can describe their environment, their subject, their mood, their lighting, all that kind of stuff,” said Bostic. “The more likely they are to have an image generated that matched what they wanted.” 

When Bostic teamed up with Cooley to create the project, at first, expectations were tempered.

“I thought maybe kids would come in, and if they talked about a challenge they had or an anxiety or something, they might be too nervous or too afraid to express that in their comic books,” said Bostic. “But what we’ve seen is that kids want to tell their stories.”

It is a process that might just lead to a career.

“There's sort of this secret underlying tone of, 'hey, you're learning digital art skills and you're learning how to collaborate and learning how to talk with each other and talk about yourself in a way that maybe isn't the norm',” said Cooley.

Most of the students in the AI comics lab program have overcome difficulties — some with learning, some with attendance. Teachers and organizers say most students were so motivated they had to post a sign at the library lab telling them they weren’t allowed in until after 2 p.m.

“It is hard to keep kids from skipping school to come into my room,” said Bostic. “But no, it’s not hard to get kids to come in, especially this room.”

Everyone has a story. For the students, theirs is just beginning.

“They want to succeed. They want opportunities. They're hungry. They're driven,” said Cooley. “It's just, if each one of us can open a door every day, then we get to see a little bit of a different side of people and what they're capable of.”

“It’s very inspiring when you see kids be brave and talk about their story and create their character and share that experience with others,” said Bostic. “It’s pretty awesome.”