H22™ AI CEO and Founder Heather Jerrehian had a conversation with Brynne Barnard-Bahn as part of our ‘First Rung’ blog series. Gen Z is facing unprecedented and accelerated change, in a large part due to a world that is being reshaped by AI and automation.This leads H22 to believe that clarity about who you are and why you’re here matters more than ever. The core questions that sit at the heart of this blog series are designed to explore the ways self-knowledge contributes to purpose and passion.
This summer Brynne is a Data Engineering & AI Ops Intern at H22 and she’s also stepped up to support some of H22’s product development workflow. She is a Computer Science & Studio Art Major and Data Analysis Minor entering her senior year at Wesleyan University.
Heather: When do you feel most energized and what are you usually doing?
Brynne: I feel the most energized when I’m able to hyper-focus on something or enter a flow state, whether it’s when I’m alone or with a group of people who are also completely "locked in". It happens when I’m debugging or solving math and computer science problems, but it happens most often when I’m making art. Sitting down and making art, I get into a certain zone. I’m not someone who does my best work while multitasking or taking frequent breaks; I prefer to work for six hours straight and be completely all in. When I get in a zone and have a creative flow, it energizes me.
Heather: What is a strength that you have that the world has not fully seen yet?
Brynne: I’d say it’s my ability to be observant of potential issues, to look with a critical eye. I don't mean pointing out flaws in a negative way, but rather pressure testing something before it faces the real world and anticipating edge cases. Thinking through potential consequences shapes how I collaborate on and approach different things like data sets or product decisions. I think it’s useful at school and at work, and I think I bring it to any project or team that I'm on. There's definitely a skill to knowing when or how to bring something up that I’ve noticed so that it’s perceived as helpful and not critical, and I’m getting better at that.
Heather: What skills are you deliberately building right now and why?
Brynne: I am deliberately learning when to take up space. Sometimes I’m in a room full of people who have been doing this longer than me, and it highlights that this doesn't always come automatically. But I think this summer has pushed me toward that. I've been covering the product management responsibilities, which means being a real voice in designing work, not just executing it. And that shift in perspective has been clarifying, and I ask myself, when do I actually have enough of the picture to weigh in confidently? I’ve learned that asking the right question at the right moment is its own kind of competence.
Heather: In a world where AI can do more and more, what do you think should remain deeply human?
Brynne: Art. I may seem biased as I'm someone who draws and paints and does digital drawings, but I’ve also spent my days this summer building an AI product, so there’s a tension in that. I believe that AI is a tool that can genuinely help people, but I also believe there are things that it can't replicate, like the capacity for human expression and intent. When I look at an AI-generated video or animated content that was prompted rather than crafted, it just feels like something is absent. There's no one behind it taking risks and making human mistakes, or inventing something truly original. I think we lose something important if we stop noticing the difference. People need to stay honest with themselves about what they want when they reach for AI in creative spaces.
Heather: Do you have a favorite quote or saying that strongly resonates with you?
Brynne: I have a quote from the 14th Dalai Lama: "If it can be solved, there's no need to worry, and if it can't be solved, worry is of no use". I like this quote because I'm naturally solution-oriented, which is a strength, but I can also worry about details or about trying to solve everything at once. This quote is a way of interrupting that. It reminds me that I don't need to solve my whole life at this moment.
Heather: What is one change you'd like to make in the world in your lifetime?
Brynne: I want to encourage people to be more empathetic and not to get too cynical about the world and the way things are going. I get in that trap myself, and I think that we should value human connections and just stay grounded with each other and what's important. Stick to your values and try to help the world and become a better place. It’s so easy to get detached from everything in this digital era.
Heather: What is one belief about success that you've had to unlearn?
Brynne: I’ve had to unlearn the idea that success is only about money or income. I had to get out of that mindset and think about what I actually wanted for myself, and how I want to see myself in the future, and what would actually make me feel fulfilled. It wouldn't just be financial success. For a while, I wasn't thinking of my creative side as something that could be part of my success, but I’ve realized that life isn't linear. You have to take things as they go, but also make things happen.
Heather: What is a common misunderstanding about your generation that you'd love to correct?
Brynne: I think it's that Gen Z isn’t caring, or isn’t passionate, or is not trying hard enough. People underestimate what it's like to have the whole world at your fingertips from a young age, and how that affects the way you look at the world. What some see as apathy is often just a different perspective shaped by the digital age. I don't think we are lazier or more detached than any other generation; we just grew up in a different context.
You can find Brynne on LinkedIn and Instagram @brynne.bb
