Hawk Career Exploration Academy

Long known as “Camp Henry,” the Hawk Career Exploration Academy summer program offers an exciting experience with multiple options for youth development between 6th-12th grades.

Our summer program sessions feature exciting, hands-on activities across STEAM fields Science, Technology/Trades, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Students gain early exposure to diverse and promising career pathways while building valuable real-world skills that support their future academic and professional success.

Program details

• Location: Henry Ford College, Main Campus, 5101 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI 48128
• Apple Foundation Program only: Henry Ford College – East Campus, 3601 Schaefer Rd, Dearborn, MI 48128
• Schedule & Weeks: Refer to individual session descriptions for specific dates and times.
• Lunch: Lunch is not provided. However, Henry Ford College has an on-site cafeteria where students may purchase food. Students may also bring a packed lunch.

Please note the recommended age range listed for each session before registering.

How to Register

Registration for the 2026 Hawk Career Exploration Academy opens March 2, 2026. Please reach out to mtec@hfcc.edu for additional details. Please note that space is limited and sessions fill quickly.

Payment

Payment is required to secure your child’s spot.
If payment is not received by the listed deadlines, the student will be dropped from the course the following day.

Payment Deadlines:

• March 15
• April 15
• May 15
• June 15

The final registration deadline is June 15, 2026, or when sessions reach capacity.

You will receive a camp information packet with additional details one week prior to your selected session(s) start date. Families are responsible for providing daily transportation to and from campus.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing. Please contact Cassandra Myers at cmyers17@hfcc.edu.

Full refunds are available if your request is made two weeks prior to June 1st, 2026.

For additional information please contact:

Cassandra Myers

Program Manager
Workforce and Professional Development
3601 Schaefer Road
Dearborn MI, 48128
cmyers17@hfcc.edu
313-317-6604

5101: Culinary Explorer

This exploratory session is truly a culinary adventure for young enthusiasts eager to explore the art of cooking and baking. With a well-balanced schedule combining hands-on cooking sessions and essential kitchen fundamentals, children will gain a comprehensive understanding of the culinary world.

By incorporating initiatives like farm-to-fork, nutrition, and healthy eating, the session goes beyond simply teaching cooking techniques. It instills in participants a deeper appreciation for the origins of food and its impact on our well-being, fostering lifelong healthy eating habits.

Empowering young people to take charge of the kitchen sparks their creativity and builds confidence as they experiment with flavors and ingredients. Meanwhile, the focus on baking not only teaches essential skills but also lays a solid foundation for those with a passion for pastry arts.

The culmination of the session is a parent luncheon on the final day that provides participants with a platform to showcase their newfound skills and share their culinary creations with family members.

Note, for safety reasons, students will be required to wear pants and closed-toe shoes for the Culinary Explorer experience at HFC.

Age Group: Rising 6th-8th Graders
Dates: Week of 6/29
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $130

The Baking Lab

Discover the art and science of baking in this hands-on, creative course! Participants will be introduced to professional techniques for breads, pastries, and desserts creation while experimenting with flavors and ingredients to create unique baked goods. Explore the science behind baking, from fermentation to decoration. Collaborate with fellow aspiring bakers in a fun, interactive environment to create goods. Take home your delicious creations and newfound skills!

Objectives:

• Recall and demonstrate basic baking techniques for various breads, pastries, and desserts.
• Identify and experiment with different flavors and ingredients in baked goods.
• Explain simple baking science concepts, such as fermentation and leavening.
• Apply kitchen safety and cleanliness practices while preparing and decorating baked creations.

Age Group: Rising 9th-12th Graders
Dates: Week of 7/13
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $150

The Stitch Expedition: A Maker's Journey

This a hands-on summer experience designed for high school students ready to turn creativity into real world skills. This immersive maker session introduces youth to both basic and industrial sewing techniques while exploring fashion, textile design, and production processes used in today’s creative industries.

Participants will move beyond simple crafts and learn how to design, construct, and complete projects using hand sewing, domestic sewing machines, and industrial equipment. From concept to finished product, students gain practical technical skills, problem-solving experience, and the confidence to bring their ideas to life.

Students will learn foundational and advanced sewing techniques, train on both home and industrial sewing machines, read patterns, measure, cut, and assemble garments and textile products and explore design thinking, fabric selection, and customization while creating fun projects.

Whether students are interested in fashion, entrepreneurship, skilled trades, or simply learning how to create their own pieces, The Stitch Expedition provides real tools, real techniques, and real results.

By the end of the journey, each participant walks away with finished projects, new technical confidence, and skills that can last a lifetime.

Age Group: Rising 9th-12th Graders
Dates: Week of 7/20 and 8/3
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Days: Monday - Friday
Cost: $130
Notes: HFC will provide all items needed except fabric.

Design, Create, & Explore with Apple

Get ready to turn your ideas into reality! In this session, middle school students will design, create, and explore using Apple technology while building real-world skills in creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.

Campers will dive into digital design, video production, music creation, coding, and interactive storytelling using iPads and Apple apps like Keynote, iMovie, GarageBand, and Swift Playgrounds. From designing their own apps and games to producing short films and multimedia projects, students will learn how technology can bring their imagination to life.

Through fun challenges, collaborative projects, and guided instruction, participants will create original digital art and designs, code beginner-friendly apps and games, produce videos and podcasts, strengthen creativity, communication, and leadership skills.

By the end of the week, each camper will showcase their creations in a final project presentation for family and friends.

Full and Partial Scholarships are available.

Age Group: Rising 6th-8th Graders
Dates: Week of 7/6 and 7/27
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $130

Tech Explorer: Gaming, Strategy, and Innovation

Power up for an exciting day of tech, teamwork, and strategy at Tech Explorer, for youth who love gaming, problem-solving, and innovation. Held in our newly gaming room, this immersive experience transforms gameplay into learning as youth explore how technology and strategy shape the games they love.

They won’t just play but they’ll think, design, and create. Through structured challenges, tournaments, and hands-on activities, students will discover the fundamentals of game design, coding concepts, digital citizenship, and collaborative strategy. From friendly esports style competitions to building their own mini games and solving real-world tech challenges, every activity strengthens critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork.

This fast paced, high energy day camp encourages leadership, communication, and resilience while providing a fun, safe environment to connect with peers who share similar interests.

Whether your youth enjoys gaming, technology, or creative challenges, Tech Explorer is the perfect place to level up their skills and imagination.

Age Group: Rising 6th-8th Graders
Dates: Week of 7/6 and 7/27
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $125

Discovering Coding Through Swift

Hey there, future app creators! Are you ready to embark on an exhilarating journey into the realm of app development? Join us for "Discovering Coding Through Swift", where you'll unlock the secrets of crafting apps specifically for iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices.

Get ready to harness the power of Swift, the ultimate playground for app development on Apple's platform. You'll dive deep into Swift basics, the language that brings your app ideas to life with its magic touch. With the guidance of our expert instructor, you'll be empowered to turn your boldest app concepts into reality.

Don't let this opportunity slip through your fingertips! This week-long adventure promises to be filled with invaluable learning experiences, thrilling exploration, and hands-on app development action. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dive headfirst into the world of app creation for Apple devices.

Full and Partial Scholarships are available.

Age Group: Rising 6th-8th Graders
Dates: Week of 6/29 and 7/13
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $130

Civil Engineering and Construction Explorer: Build Your World!

Are you ready to discover how cities, bridges, and roads come to life? Join us for Civil Engineering and Construction Explorer, a hands-on adventure designed for aspiring builders and innovators. This camp dives into the exciting world of construction, design, and problem-solving.

Through the design and building of model bridges, towers, and other structures, you will get to experiment with construction materials to understand their strengths and applications. You will explore how engineers solve real-world challenges like creating earthquake-proof buildings and sustainable cities. You will do all this while collaborating with teammates to tackle fun design challenges.

These activities will assist in the future with critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork skills as you learn the essential role civil engineers play in shaping our modern world. You will have unique creations to take home to showcase your new engineering skills!

Age Group: Rising 6th-8th Graders
Dates: Week of 7/13 or 7/20
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $130

Drone Code and Create

Take innovation to new heights in this exciting, hands-on STEM experience! In this introductory session, youth will build, program, and fly their own drones while exploring the technology that powers today’s mobility, aerospace, and engineering industries.

Using iOS-based platforms, participants will develop STEM literacy through creative problem-solving, coding challenges, and digital design projects. Youth will learn how hardware, software, and engineering come together as they assemble drone components, test flight performance, and apply programming concepts to control movement and navigation.

Through real world applications and guided projects, students will strengthen critical thinking, technical skills, and teamwork while discovering career pathways in aerospace, robotics, aviation, and emerging technologies.

Perfect for curious minds who love building, designing, and experimenting no prior drone or coding experience required.

Full and Partial Scholarships are available.

Age Group: Rising 9th-12th Graders
Dates: Week of 6/29
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $300

Apple Foundation Program

What do social media, alarm clocks, and calendars have in common? They’re all apps we use daily to stay connected, entertained, or be productive! Now it’s your turn to explore how apps are made.

In this exciting program, you’ll use Mac computers and iPhones to learn the basics of app creation. Through hands-on challenges, you’ll team up with others to design and develop your app prototype, tackling a real-world problem. Along the way, you’ll boost your creativity, learn about what is needed in the mobile app development world, and discover how you can turn your ideas into reality.

We will review topics like design thinking, user research, prototyping and conceptual design, Swift coding basics, and X code. You'll also learn about improving your presentation skills.

At the end of the program, invite your family and friends to presentation night to see the awesome app prototype you’ve created and celebrate your achievements!

Age Group: Rising 10th-12th Graders
Dates: 7/13/2026 to 8/7/2026
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Friday
Cost: Free

Leadership Exploration: Youth Leading Youth

Perfect for curious minds who love technology, creativity, and innovation no prior experience needed. Just bring your ideas and get ready to build something amazing!

Welcome to our K-12 Teaching Profession Exploration! Get ready for an experience where you'll discover the excitement and impact of hands-on teaching. Here's a glimpse of what each day will entail:

Interconnected Activities: Each day, you will explore how various academic subjects – such as science, literacy, math, and social studies – can be interconnected through hands-on activities. Through engaging discussions and interactive sessions, you'll learn how to integrate these activities to enhance learning in the classroom.

Pre-Education Themes: Throughout the session, you will delve into different pre-education themes, including science, math, literacy/social studies, and art. By exploring these themes, you'll gain a deeper understanding of their relevance and application in educational settings.

Theory and Practice: You will have the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts into practice through hands-on activities. By participating in these activities, you'll develop a better understanding of student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills – essential qualities for future educators, babysitters, or camp counselors.

Join us for an unforgettable journey where you'll not only learn about the teaching profession but also gain practical skills that will serve you well in various roles in childcare and education.

Age Group: Rising 9th-12th Graders
Dates: Week of 7/6 and 7/27
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Days: Monday - Thursday
Cost: $130