Possible Zone

Possible Zone Students & associates explore state-of-the-art technologies & develop key social & emotional skills.

At The Possible Zone (TPZ), Boston teens develop entrepreneurial spirit and 21st century skills that prepare them for continuous learning and in-demand careers. The Possible Zone (TPZ) offers a fun, free, experiential learning program for young adults in Boston where they develop entrepreneurial spirit, skills & networks that strengthen their readiness for post-high school & the workforce. They leave ready to shape their futures & ultimately advance their economic mobility.

Staff, students, and an alumnus from The Possible Zone (TPZ) had the honor last Friday to support Community Servings, a ...
08/28/2026

Staff, students, and an alumnus from The Possible Zone (TPZ) had the honor last Friday to support Community Servings, a local nonprofit (also serving RI), that provides medically tailored, nutritious, scratch-made meals to chronically and critically ill individuals and their families. It was TPZ's second time volunteering, and the Community Servings couldn't be more welcoming. We prepped sides for meals, including kale and chicken salad, couscous salad, hummus, and cranberry cookies. Volunteers scooped, weighed, packaged, and labeled sides to be delivered as part of neighbors’ healthy meals.

Community Servings offers 16 medical diets designed to help people improve their health through nutritionally-appropriate food scratch-made from wholesome ingredients. Since their founding in 1990, they have provided more than 15 million medically tailored meals to their clients across Massachusetts who are living with severe critical and chronic illnesses such as HIV, cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease. We look forward to volunteering with them againServings offers 16 medical diets designed to help people improve their health through nutritionally-appropriate food scratch-made from wholesome ingredients. Since their founding in 1990, they have provided more than 15 million medically tailored meals to their clients across Massachusetts who are living with severe critical and chronic illnesses such as HIV, cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease. We look forward to volunteering with them again!

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Jessika Pun shares her journey of growth as a TPZ alumna and current staff member on the TPZ Insights blog. She writes:"...
08/25/2026

Jessika Pun shares her journey of growth as a TPZ alumna and current staff member on the TPZ Insights blog. She writes:

"When I think about my journey at The Possible Zone, I don't see a straight line. I see identities that emerged over time, each building on the last, as my exposure to experiences and people grew. I arrived as a learner, curious and eager to discover what I was capable of. I grew into a business founder, taking ownership of ideas, projects, and new challenges. And then, I became a mentor, realizing that growth isn't only about what you achieve, but what you help others achieve. Each role shaped not only what I could do, but who I was becoming."

Read about Jessika's journey as a Learner, Founder, and Mentor: https://possiblezone.org/an-alumnas-journey-of-growth/

A group of Boston teenagers recently got an inside look at what it means to build a career at the intersection of food s...
08/21/2026

A group of Boston teenagers recently got an inside look at what it means to build a career at the intersection of food science and culinary technology at the sprawling headquarters of , a leading global product design and technology company located in nearby Needham, MA.

Since 2023, The Possible Zone (TPZ), an education nonprofit that prepares students for careers of the future, has partnered with SharkNinja to empower the next generation of innovators. While TPZ designs and leads afterschool programming on topics such as Autonomous Robots, Tech & UX Design for Escape Rooms, and How to Build a Care Bot, partners like SharkNinja open their doors and make career exploration even more meaningful.

“Partnerships like this help close the gap by giving young people direct access to mentorship, to industry leaders, to real world experiences, and the confidence to see themselves as future innovators and leaders,” said Franchesca Carrington, M.Ed. (she/her), SharkNinja’s Head of Philanthropy.

The high school students visiting SharkNinja — most of whom attend Boston Public Schools — are part of Cooking for Humanity, a 20-session afterschool LaunchLab course run by TPZ which asks the question: How can food be both a celebration of culture and means to potentially improve health outcomes?

Read the full article by Aiden Stein about this healthcare-focused LaunchLab on our TPZ Insights blog: https://tinyurl.com/TPZcookingforhumanity26

The Possible Zone's CONVERSE Deep Dive is in the box! More than two dozen students explored Converse’s product creation...
08/20/2026

The Possible Zone's CONVERSE Deep Dive is in the box! More than two dozen students explored Converse’s product creation process through consumer insights, creative briefs, graphic design, customization, prototyping, and merchandising. This annual summer partnership invites Deep Dive participants to reimagine Chuck under the guidance of multidisciplinary mentors from Converse's Boston Headquarters.

In teams, these Boston area high schoolers began the process by creating a collage vision board based on a muse -- Casual & Athletic, Elevated and Classic, Trendsetter, Individualist, and Femme & Trendy. Working alongside enthusiastic Converse designers and TPZ staff, students turned their shared vision into a group design for a graphic T-shirt. Students customized white high tops with patches, punches, and hand-drawn details to create a matching look which they presented at Converse headquarters. The diversity of the students’ designs never fails to surprise and delight, underscoring the infinite creativity of future-forward creators.

Thank you to Gonzalez, Margy Mackin, and the entire Converse Team, as well as TPZ program staff Grace Klein-Lee, Yari Dudley, Meyling Galvez Contreras, and Shira Zar-Kessler for making this year's Deep Dive another great success. We were also happy to welcome several guests during the program who wondered at the creativity and possibilities of this partnership, including City of Boston leaders Jose Masso, Chief of Human Services, and Joseph Henry, Chief, Office of Arts & Culture.

Photo credits: Whitney Goncalves from Converse and Aiden Stein from The Possible Zone

“In my professional life,” Joanna Sanborn writes, “I’ve spent more than 15 years supporting high school students – mostl...
08/12/2026

“In my professional life,” Joanna Sanborn writes, “I’ve spent more than 15 years supporting high school students – mostly first-generation college-goers – with the college application process. I’ve encountered many parents over the years with questions about the college application process and confusion about what they “should be doing.” Through my work, I’ve learned some important lessons that have crossed over into my personal life as a parent of a recent high school graduate. We know that young people need opportunities to build agency for their decisions. We also understand that they thrive when caring adults are engaged. Though schools play a key role, families, in every form, are important partners who help students navigate the postsecondary process and access opportunities. There are some crucial times when caregivers can and should step in.”

Joanna shares her advice to parents and caregivers of high schoolers on The Possible Zone. Read here: Insights blog. https://tinyurl.com/tpzprepareforcollege

How can we turn electronics into clues, surprises, and unforgettable puzzle experiences? During the recent Puzzle Design...
08/11/2026

How can we turn electronics into clues, surprises, and unforgettable puzzle experiences? During the recent Puzzle Designs for Escape Rooms Deep Dives at Lawrence High School, students created interactive themed puzzles that challenged players to think creatively and work together. They imagined their own escape room themes -- from DJ turntable puzzle to a Spongebob Krabby Patty game -- built hands-on prototypes, and used the design process to test and improve their ideas. Along the way, they discovered how electronics can bring storytelling, mystery, and problem solving to life.

Led by educators Luke Matys, Sabrina Tirachen, Jeremy Martindale, and Jasmine Quezada of The Possible Zone, the program was enriched by visits from Dylan Shuster, Area Manager of Escapology Tewksbury, and Michael Perron, Founder of Disomus Escape Project, who shared feedback and insights with the students.

Congratulations to our first cohort of LHS summer students, and thank you to Dylan and Michael for their enthusiastic participation, and the entire TPZ team!

This summer, Battle Bots rolled into the arena ready for competition.Students in this two-week Deep Dive designed, progr...
08/10/2026

This summer, Battle Bots rolled into the arena ready for competition.

Students in this two-week Deep Dive designed, programmed, and built fully functional robotic-controlled combat vehicles using DC motors, Micro radio controls, and Python code.

During a visit to Boston Dynamics, students saw robot models over the years, robotics labs, and had a close-up encounter with Spot, the robot dog. Students took these lessons from expert engineers back to The Possible Zone, where they assembled their own remotely controlled bots.

In teams, they engineered distinct fighters outfitted with servos to move, lift, and drop objects with speed and accuracy. In rounds of 3 vs 3 bots, they competed to unhook, push, and deposit as many rings as possible before time ran out, with some zones earning +1 point, while others earned +4 or +8 for more difficult maneuvers.

Thank you to educators Evan Denenberg and Miles Baird, volunteers Samuel Wu and Daniel Guauque, and Boston Dynamics for such a fun Deep Dive into robotics.

What happens when workforce development looks like a paid co-founder seat instead of a certificate? This proposed SXSW E...
08/06/2026

What happens when workforce development looks like a paid co-founder seat instead of a certificate? This proposed SXSW EDU session unpacks a six-month program that hires young adults from under-invested communities to develop and launch real consumer products, with full pay and a share in the financial upside of what they build. A program leader, co-founder, and a product engineering leader from SharkNinja walk through the stage-gate curriculum, from discovery to go-to-market, and show how gate reviews and live sales replace grades as evidence of learning. Together we ask what career-connected learning demands of employers.

Vote for our SXSW EDU panel "Paid to Launch: Co-Founding as a Career Pathway" and join us at SXSW EDU to learn about a replicable non-degree pathway where young adults earn full pay and a share in the financial upside of what they build.

Vote today: tinyurl.com/sxswtpzpaidtolaunch
THANK YOU!

Lori Cotter Archibald Jeremy Martindale Eliza Petrow

We often ask how AI can improve learning. We're asking a different question: How should learning shape AI? In this propo...
08/06/2026

We often ask how AI can improve learning. We're asking a different question: How should learning shape AI? In this proposed SXSW EDU presentation, leaders from research, practice, and AI innovation explore how schools can cultivate the relationships, agency, creativity, and judgment that technology doesn’t replace. It’s not a tools’ conversation. It's about the architecture of human-centered learning.

Vote for our SXSW EDU panel, "Humans in the Loop: Where AI Helps—and Where It Shouldn't," and then join us at SXSW EDU to learn how to design experiences that strengthen durable skills while ensuring technology amplifies, rather than replaces, what makes us human.

Vote today: https://tinyurl.com/sxswtpzwhereaihelps
THANK YOU!

Playlabai The Rithm Project Hilah Barbot Alison Lee, Ph.D Sabrina Tirachen Meg Riordan, Ph.D.

What if the next great consumer product came not from Silicon Valley but from a first-time founder with no resume and bi...
08/06/2026

What if the next great consumer product came not from Silicon Valley but from a first-time founder with no resume and big potential? This proposed SXSW session breaks down a young-adult-led incubator that pays people from under-invested communities to become product co-founders, taking concepts from trend research through validation, prototyping, and launch in a fail-fast, stage-gate process. Our first product grossed $2 million in its first year; three more products are in pre-order. Hear the playbook from program leaders and industry leader SharkNinja who sees this pipeline as the future of product talent.

Vote for our SXSW panel "Community-Built. Market-Ready. No Resume Needed." then join us at SXSW to learn:

-A stage-gate playbook for turning market trends into launched consumer products with first-time, youth co-founders.
-How ad testing, customer interviews, and gate reviews de-risk products before investing in tooling and inventory.
-A revenue flywheel: Sales fund the next cohort and the high school program, while founders participate in the financial upside of what they create.
-Founders earn upside ownership and income while product sales fund future cohorts as well as the partner high school program.

Vote today: https://tinyurl.com/sxswtpznoresumeneeded
THANK YOU!

Lori Cotter Archibald Jeremy Martindale Eliza Petrow

Address

31 Heath Street
Boston, MA
02130

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 7pm

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