Imagining the future of student-led learning at Michigan Central REP4® Detroit Design Blitz

This story is part of a series recognizing the work being done through the GVSU Charter Schools Office Impact 30 grant . 

Detroit high schoolers imagined what the future of education will look like at the REP4® Detroit Design Blitz on May 7. The event partnered REP4® and the GVSU Charter Schools Office through a grant initiative advancing student-centered learning. 

The Impact 30 grant provides funding opportunities to GVSU-authorized charter schools and other Grand Valley programs, creating innovative educational opportunities for K-12 students. Forty grants are being awarded across six focus areas, including experiential learning and college and career readiness. 

MORE : Charter Schools Office honors 30 years through Impact 30 grant program

Thanks to the Impact 30 grant, GVSU’s REP4® team is able to directly connect with more high school learners. REP4 ®, which stands for Rapid Education Prototyping for Change, Learners, Community, Equity, is a national alliance founded by GVSU and eight other higher education partners across the country. It aims to put students at the center of their education and gives them an opportunity to help shape their college experience. 

When young people have a say in how their education is designed, it tends to work better for them, according to Mike Saunders, REP4® program coordinator. 

“They aren't stuck in systems that were designed 50, 100 years ago, maybe by people who didn't have their best interests at heart,” Saunders said. “Instead, they’re taking control of their own futures and own destinies. It is critical that we listen to young people when we're thinking about who we want to lead our world.” 

The Blitz took place at Detroit’s historic Michigan Central, a centerpiece of Detroit’s growing innovation economy. Grand Valley partnered with Michigan Central in 2025 to expand its impact in Detroit and strengthen the region’s talent pipeline. The partnership has allowed groups, including TRIO Upward Bound and REP4®, to work with students directly in the city while accessing Michigan Central’s state-of-the-art facilities and technology. 

MORE : GVSU and Michigan Central partner to expand workforce development and educational opportunities in Detroit

Twenty-five high school juniors from University Prep Art & Design High School participated in the Blitz, working through the REP4® design thinking process. Split into small teams, they interviewed current Grand Valley students about their experiences transitioning from high school to college. 

They found two recurring themes: students struggled with both loneliness and mental health during their first year in college. In response, the teams created prototypes of on-campus groups, student-centered apps and tools that help combat these issues, then presented their ideas and received feedback from the student mentors in the room.

The experience forced the students to think fast and collaborate on ideas, working in a way they rarely do on a typical school day, said Jamal Carter, a junior at University Prep Art & Design. “School is just strictly, you know, work on papers, A to B, this, C to B that. This [lets us] actually use our minds and our creativity,” said Carter. “I got to collaborate with people around me and build something together.”