Apple Developer Academy graduates second class
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Apple Developer Academy's 2023 graduating class inside the First National Bank building downtown. Photos: Samuel Robinson/Axios
Nearly 200 local students of all ages celebrated their graduation from Apple's developer academy Thursday, the second graduating class of the first-of-its-kind program.
Driving the news: Students worked to develop new apps and businesses during the 10-month program. Groups that presented their products at the graduation ceremony introduced solutions for health and fitness, accessibility and discovering local culture and history.
- The 2023 graduating class of more than 160 students ranged in age from 18 to 70 and come from diverse educational backgrounds.
Why it matters: A larger second graduating class means the program is working, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said during a speech at Thursday's ceremony, held inside the First National Bank building downtown.
What they're saying: "It's the people, it's the connections you make here that make the academy like a family," graduate AJ Louis of Detroit tells Axios.
- Louis, 38, is a full-time IT support technician who joined the program last summer after finishing an online web developer bootcamp program.
- "When we got here it was all about creating things from scratch and that's what I'm all about," Louis says.
Zoom in: The free academy, which launched as part of Apple’s $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative and remains the only one of its kind, is a partnership among Apple, Michigan State University and the Gilbert Family Foundation.
