“Look at them. They may not know who they are yet. But hold the crown above their heads and dare them to grow into it.”
I’m Jeff Livingston. I’ve spent 25 years in education strategy — figuring out how to make learning systems actually work for students. I built this workshop because I watched brilliant students treat the most powerful learning tool ever created like a vending machine.
I had three people in mind when I built this.
A high schooler thinking about engineering. A college sophomore at Morehouse who uses ChatGPT but hasn’t built a system yet. A recent Amherst grad heading to law school who doesn’t know how much the gap between what he thinks AI can do and what it actually can is about to matter.
High School / Ethan: Ethan is a bright high school junior thinking about his future college career in engineering. He knows AI exists. He doesn’t yet know what it can do for him.
College / Ethan: Ethan is a brilliant sophomore at Morehouse College thinking about business and public service. He uses ChatGPT. He hasn’t built a system yet.
Career / Jalen: Jalen is a recent graduate of Amherst College preparing for law school and his career beyond. The distance between what he thinks AI can do and what it actually can is about to matter professionally.
This workshop is 24 minutes. Four modules. No theory for theory’s sake — just the protocols, tools, and mental models that separate students who use AI from students who are transformed by it.
The Tool Ecosystem
Every tool below has a free tier or a student discount. The gap between free and paid is narrowing fast.
Source-grounded synthesis, study guides, audio overviews, flashcards, and probing questions — all anchored to YOUR sources, not the internet. Upload your PDFs, lecture notes, and readings. This is where Protocols 2, 3, and 4 from the workshop come alive.
Two years ago, the free tier of AI tools was barely functional. Today, the free versions of ChatGPT, NotebookLM, and Google AI Pro are more powerful than the paid tiers were in 2024. The gap between free and paid is narrowing, not widening. Start with $0. Upgrade only when you’ve outgrown what’s free.
Office Hours with Brother Du Bois
The lecture is the modules. This is where you do the work. Brother Du Bois won’t write your paper — but he’ll push you until it’s the best thing you’ve ever turned in.
Brother Du Bois is powered by the Raise the Crown knowledge base. Grounded in the workshop research, not generic AI.