Detroit – The Apple Developer Academy graduated over 160 students Thursday, marking the second year of the tech giant’s partnership with Michigan State University with a nearly doubled class-size.

The program – which runs ten months and is offered to anyone above 18 years old at no cost – seeks to train people of all backgrounds to work in the software industry by fusing Apple’s technology with MSU’s instructors in a modern classroom workspace funded by Detroit philanthropy group The Gilbert Family Foundation.

Some graduates came in with experience in coding or technology, while others, like 70-year-old graduation speaker Andre Brooks, a retired Detroit police officer, came in looking to learn about something completely new.

Throughout the program, participants worked collaboratively and found various niches in coding, design or project management.

Unlike traditional classes in computer science or software engineering with a set curriculum that students are tested on, the academy was built around “challenge-based learning,” giving participants problems and helping them figure out how to solve them as they see fit.

Detroit native Kevin Marion – who graduated in last year’s inaugural class, mentored this year’s students and will soon begin work as a coder for a large financial company – said he appreciated the non-traditional structure because “in the real world, no employer is going to tell you how, they’re going to tell you what needs to get done. You have to figure it out.”

The challenges given to participants resulted in real iOS apps available to download today, including apps that help users deal with imposter syndrome through poetry and journaling, learn about Detroit’s music culture through digital guided walks, or scan food nutrition labels for allergens and their derivatives.

Ron Marshall, a 51-year-old security guard and union leader, worked with his peers to create CultureCal, a calendar app that gives users push notifications about events in Black history.

Marshall said he joined the program in hopes of transitioning to a career that would best support his two children’s aspirations to go to medical school. He was nervous to start, feeling “completely green to tech.” But by the end, he found that tech entrepreneurship is a perfect fit.

“This is changing lives," Marshall said. “They’re teaching us what we don’t know, but more importantly, they’re bringing out what we didn’t know we already knew.”

Marshall has received some job offers, but he’s going to continue with the academy through the new second-year Renaissance program, which invites a smaller group of graduates to stick around for internships at partner organizations or continued support of their individual projects.

Marshall is also hoping to expand CultureCal, starting with a calendar and notifications for Hispanic history.

He said a big part of his success wasn’t just the instruction and mentorship, but the collaborative culture that pushed students to support each other.

The academy used groups heavily, giving students a clear message from the beginning: “Make sure your whole team gets across the finish line.”

Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, who attended the graduation, said the focus on collaboration, team building, and conflict resolution is important because “coding is not the hard part, it’s the people.”

Some of those groups changed and shifted throughout, while some plan to continue working together long after graduation.

The students behind WashEZ, a home delivery laundry service currently available throughout Metro Detroit, plan to continue their service as an LLC; and the group developing SignScribe, which uses machine learning to translate sign language on Zoom or FaceTime into text, plans to continue improving their technology to best expand accessibility for deaf or visually impaired users.

The academy is one part of MSU’s increasing presence in Detroit and effort to expand throughout the state.

In January, Interim President Teresa Woodruff told MSU’s leaders that becoming “Michigan’s State University” was a top priority for her temporary tenure.

The university recently announced that its endowment fund would purchase a majority stake in one of downtown Detroit's most iconic buildings, with plans to open a startup incubator in the Fisher Building later this year following a $21 million investment.

The university has a 79% stake in the partnership that now owns the building, which is a National Historic Landmark. The other partners are Detroit-based development firm The Platform and MSU Federal Credit Union.

The graduation ceremony's keynote speaker, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, praised the university’s partnerships and expansion efforts, saying MSU is the only institution other than the state government to have a presence in all 83 Michigan counties.

“What it means for an institution to invest everywhere, in this environment, in this region, is unparalleled. It’s unprecedented,” Gilchrist said. “And I appreciate Apple for recognizing that MSU was the partner they needed to make this happen.”

Thursday’s graduation is the second for the academy. In Gilchrist's view, it ensured that the initial success wasn’t “an accident.”

“The second legitimizes something’s presence,” Gilchrist said. “Today establishes that this academy and these partnerships are here to stay, and persist, and grow.”