HERizon

Inspiration

Did you know that only 2% of music producers are women? Even in today’s progressive world, many industries remain male-dominated as a result of centuries of patriarchy that shaped who was encouraged to explore, lead, and innovate. This has created a cycle where girls often don’t see themselves represented in these fields and therefore never consider them as possibilities—not due to lack of ability, but lack of exposure. We believe this can be changed by introducing young girls to the full range of careers early on, especially those they may not even know exist, sparking curiosity before intimidation can take hold and expanding their sense of what’s possible.

What it does

HERizon is an interactive, gamified “career museum” that exposes girls to male-dominated fields through short, voice-guided simulations and real women’s stories. Instead of teaching like a course, it sparks curiosity, lowers intimidation, and ends with a personalized roadmap showing how users can learn, join, and grow in that field.

How we built it

Core architecture

•⁠ ⁠Next.js 15 (App Router) + TypeScript for a modular web app •⁠ ⁠Tailwind CSS + Framer Motion for a consistent theme + smooth transitions •⁠ Zustand for global state (user settings, progress, mentor state) •⁠ ⁠MongoDB to store user profiles, progress, choices, and “Letter to Future Me” reflections (with a mock fallback) •⁠ Snowflake + SQL for aggregated analytics (completion rates, drop-off points, where users get stuck) to improve the learning flow over time •⁠ ⁠Cobe + OGL for lightweight 3D/visual elements to make exhibits feel immersive Gemini + ElevenLabs We built Herizon around a mentor that adapts in real time. Gemini is the brain. We send context like the exhibit, the current step, what the user just did, and whether they seem stuck. Gemini returns short guidance: one simple explanation, the next action to try, and a supportive line to keep the user moving. ElevenLabs is the voice. We turn Gemini’s guidance into spoken narration with the right tone (calm, hype, direct). We keep lines short for low latency, and we always show captions with mute and text-only options. Women spotlights. We also use ElevenLabs to narrate short spotlight moments about real women in each industry. We do not imitate or clone anyone’s exact voice. We use original voices to tell their stories and include attribution. Event-driven narration. The UI triggers voice at the moments that matter: enter exhibit decision points (pit stop, deal choice, effects toggle) learning moments (tire wear high, tempo change, risk spike) user stuck → Gemini simplifies hint → ElevenLabs delivers it finish → Gemini generates personalized roadmap summary → ElevenLabs reads it

Data-driven improvement loop

We log interaction events (time per step, hints used, retries, completions), store them in MongoDB/Snowflake, and query with SQL to find where users struggle. That feedback helps us tune Gemini prompts, mentor timing, and micro-lessons so the learning experience improves over time.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was integrating multiple interactive demos with real-time voice narration while keeping the frontend smooth and intuitive. Syncing ElevenLabs audio with user actions and animations, especially across different demo styles, required careful timing, state management, and UI coordination.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built three fully functional, interactive demos across very different domains. Each demo is accurate to the real industry while remaining accessible and engaging. For example, creating a 3D-style, simulation-based investment banking experience that teaches valuation, negotiation, and risk without overwhelming users.

What we learned

We learned that simply adding AI isn’t enough. The real impact comes from understanding how to combine tools—AI, databases, voice, and frontend systems—intentionally and efficiently to create a cohesive, human-centered experience.

What's next for HERizon

We plan to add more exhibits like robotics, aerospace, architecture, and cybersecurity using the same “museum” structure, expand our library of women’s voices through opt-in interviews, and partner with schools, clubs, and mentorship organizations to bring HERizon to more girls.