Press Release:
Upper Dublin High School sophomore Noah MacKenzie has been selected to participate in the highly-competitive Apple Maker Academy, a fully-funded summer experience held at Apple’s Silicon Valley campus.
For six intensive weeks, students in the Academy immerse themselves in the world of design and engineering, learning how to turn ideas into tangible products. Working in both classroom settings and state-of-the-art labs alongside Apple experts, they engage in hands-on sessions focused on ideation, fabrication, testing, and more, ultimately prototyping and pitching their own hardware designs directly to Apple leadership.
Noah’s interest in engineering and design has been building during his time in Upper Dublin schools. “I really wanted to learn about the design process from beginning to end—how to make your own product and bring it to life,” he said.
His engagement with technology began in elementary and middle school, where he discovered a love for coding. Since then, he has expanded his skills through high school courses in programming, including studies in Python, HTML, CSS, and Java. Noah has also applied his knowledge in creative ways, including building a website for his mountain biking team featuring interactive design elements.
The selective application process for the Apple Maker Academy included multiple rounds, beginning with written essays and culminating in recorded interviews. One essay challenged applicants to analyze an everyday object through an engineering lens. Noah chose a crochet hook, drawing from one of his creative pursuits, emphasizing how the hooks design and form facilitate the stitches.
Upper Dublin High School computer science teacher Christopher Hayden believes Noah’s curiosity and drive set him apart in the competitive field of applicants. “He just loves to learn as much as he can about as many different things as possible,” Hayden said. “He’s like a sponge—he absorbs new concepts and then finds creative ways to apply them.”
About his experience with the Academy, Hayden added, “I’d like him to gain as much hands-on experience as possible. I know he will internalize everything he learns and go on to do great things. Whether that’s at Apple or elsewhere, I also hope he shares his experience and inspires other students.”
Noah is considering a future in engineering, with a particular interest in materials science, and views the Academy as a chance to deepen his understanding of the iterative design process and real-world problem solving.
Photo: UDSD