A digital identity-support game for immigrant-origin youth — co-designed with the school counselors.
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A digital identity-support game for immigrant-origin youth — co-designed with the school counselors.
One in four U.S. students has at least one foreign-born parent. Many of them grow up navigating two cultures, two languages, and two sets of expectations — and they often do it alone. School-based identity programs help, but they're hard to scale: counselors are stretched thin, programs run for weeks at a time, and many digital tools feel disconnected from real life.
We wanted to build something that could meet students where they already are, hence SelfQuest.
SelfQuest is a 8-chapter narrative game that walks students through identity exploration, affirmation, and resolution. Players restore a shattered "Mirror of Belonging" by completing reflective chapters — sorting values, mapping strengths, examining stereotypes, exploring heritage — earning badges and AI-generated affirmations along the way.
We co-designed SelfQuest with 20 experienced school counselors from the Massachusetts School Counselor Association across six workshops, guided by a new ethical framework we call SCIM for working responsibly with vulnerable minors through trusted proxies.
Counselors described identity development as unevenly accessible — shaped by family pressures, internalized shame, and structural barriers — and pointed to one thing that consistently helps: a trusted mentor figure. SelfQuest is built around that insight.
Classroom evaluation during the summer with students -- Stay tuned.