The students' work and learning experiences this summer were part of Google’s Code Next program, the first office tenants at The Station.
More than 60 Code Next students on Tuesday presented to friends, family and the community their exhibit "Courage in Motion," displaying the projects they completed during their time in the program. Nonprofit YouthTank is also a partner in the programming.
Officials say the Code Next program is aimed at supporting Black, Latinx and Indigenous high school students as they pursue technology careers. It's also geared toward developing a diverse talent pipeline.
The program is on The Station’s youth programming floor. Officials consider it a piece of Michigan’s Central’s broader skills training initiative to provide free job training for Detroit residents and grow the campus ecosystem.
Clarinda Barnett-Harrison, director of skills at Michigan Central, spoke of the students who spent the summer working at the station, innovating and creating.
“That is exactly what we intended Michigan Central to be,” she said. “Google was our first founding partner. What that means is they came and joined forces with us, sight unseen. The train station hadn't even opened yet, and they realized that the mission to make sure that we create a community where innovators, entrepreneurs, companies like Michigan Central, Ford Motor Company and Google will come together and welcome community into the space.”
Google’s involvement at Michigan Station is a continuation of an ongoing presence in Michigan, said Gabriel Doss, a senior program manager for Google. The company has offices in Ann Arbor and Detroit.
“And with that presence has also come a long history of investment in computer science programs across the region, including work with Smash Detroit and Wayne State University and programs for Detroit Public Schools Community District …” he said. “I can say confidently that there is no greater investment than an investment in the citizens and students in the city of Detroit.”
Code Next has been active on the Michigan Central campus since 2022, said Barnett-Harrison. The program was housed first in The Factory building at Michigan Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard, then at Newlab and now at The Station.
This summer, the students worked in five groups. The Treehouse team worked with the company Treehouse, an EV Mobility startup at Newlab. The Mural Team's work will help inspire a mobility city mural that will be installed in 2025 on the walls of the elevator lobby of the youth floor.
The Entrepreneurship team conducted focus groups and surveys to map out a vision for a trade school geared toward youth entrepreneurship. The Team Edge group implemented design and coding to help provide ideas for the city of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation. The Media Team used their skills to tell the story of the Mobility Leadership Lab on multiple platforms, including vlog postings for MichAuto’s “You Drive the Future” social media campaign.
Among the students participating in the program was Chelsea Leggs, 14. Leggs worked on the Entrepreneurship team that surveyed their peers for ideas to create a trade school that would cater to students interested in entrepreneurship. Chelsea said she learned about leadership during her time in the program.
“I learned to talk more,” she said. “I learned to share my ideas working in a group. I learned more about entrepreneurship. I learned more about mobility, because that's kind of what we're about.”
Areefin Ahmed, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Cass Tech High School, was among the students to participate in Team Edge. The students were tasked with designing an artificial intelligence app and a creating a prototype of a mobility hub.
The group designed a physical model of a mobility hub that included amenities such as food, bathrooms, EV chargers, bikes and playground.
“It’s supposed to be a place for the community to gather and so we're just designing a prototype for it,” Ahmed said. “We had to bring computer science into it or some kind of hardware printing. So we have 3D printing. We have computers to actually code apps.”
Ahmed, who had previously participated in Code Next, said his experiences in the program will help him as he plans to study computer science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He said the biggest thing he’s taken away from the program is the hands-on experience and foundational skills.
“We wouldn't be able to like get a grasp of computer science and all these other things if we weren't exposed early on with these kinds of opportunities,” he said.
Team Edge has shared their work with the City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation. They addressed issues facing the city, including its bus routes and digital availability.
"One thing that I found that really, really interesting is how we're given a chance to actually work on all of these issues," said Aanya Ghai, a 16-year-old Canton High School junior.
Muaadh Rahman, a 17-year-old senior at Cass Tech High School, said their work is making a difference.
“So we're building a city that we would want our kids to grow up in," he said. "So we see the issues that we have in the city and we're going to build toward that and make an improvement.”
Muaadh said the coaches and mentors are helping students build careers without having to leave the city for jobs.
“I'd like to stay if I could,” he said. “The place where I grew up in.”
Google's Code Next is accepting applications for its fall cohort. Detroit-area students in grades 9-12, who are at least 13 years old, may apply. The application deadline is Aug. 2. Applicants can apply at https://codenext.withgoogle.com/.
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