What happens when a university honors college, a public school district, local experts, and returning student leaders join forces to help rising eighth and ninth graders see themselves as future scholars? For a growing group of Detroit students, it looks like the Detroit Early Honors Experience – a vibrant four-day summer program led by the Michigan State University Honors College and Detroit Public Schools Community District, taking place August 5-8, 2025.
Now in its third year, the Detroit Early Honors Experience offers students hands-on workshops in arts, technology, and science, paired with field experiences across the city. Participants are mentored by MSU staff and faculty, Detroit professionals, Honors College undergraduates, and now – for the first time since the program’s inception – Detroit Early Honors Experience scholar alumni.
The program is also supported by the MSU Detroit Center and the Office of Gifted and Talented Education, emphasizing a community-rooted approach to precollege preparation. This is not your typical summer camp – it’s a transformative opportunity to build college readiness, cultivate research skills, strengthen identity, and help students explore their city through a new academic lens.
This year’s participants will experience the Apple Developer Academy, Motown Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Historical Museum, and MSU-Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning, and Innovation.
Media is invited to attend a portion of the program.
Date/Time: Wednesday, August 6, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Address: MSU-Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning, and Innovation, 16745 Lamphere, Detroit, MI 48219
Activities: Farm tour, hands-on experience observing plant traits and measuring variables
Please email Alex Tekip at tekipale@msu.edu or Melanie Brender at brenderm@msu.edu by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 6 if you would like to attend.