Central State University students reimagine campus engagement at National HBCU App Design Challenge
Above: The 2024-25 Central State University C2 Innovation team included (front row, from left) Dr. Marvin Reid Jr., students Dylan Damiano, Ray Robinson, Cato Mayberry, and Jalen Martin, and Microsoft Administrator/IT Support Specialist Jason Broomfield; (back row) Assistant Professors of Business Administration Jasmine Ellis and Dr. Corey Owens, and students Raymond Rolle and Kevon Grant.
Five Central State University students combined creativity, code, and campus culture to take center stage at the HBCU C2 “Ctrl+Alt+CREATE” App Design Challenge, hosted by the SMART Innovation Center at Tennessee State University.
Representing Central State were students Dylan Damiano, Cato Mayberry, Jalen Martin, Raymond Rolle, and Ray Robinson III, who presented HYPE (Helping Your Peers Elevate) — a dynamic student engagement app aimed at energizing campus life by helping students find, follow, and fuel their passions. Their journey through the full app development cycle culminated in a live pitch and prototype demo supported by advisors Professor Jasmine Ellis, Drs. Marvin Reid Jr. and Corey Owens, and Jason Broomfield.
🎥 Watch their presentation on YouTube (starting at 1:52:59): Ctrl+Alt+CREATE App Design Challenge
Empowering innovation through HBCU C2 and Apple collaboration
Central State University’s involvement in the HBCU C2 Initiative — supported by Apple and led by Tennessee State University — highlights its commitment to leveraging technology for transformative education. As the program manager of the CSU HBCU C2 Regional Hub, Dr. Reid plays a vital role in that mission.
Dr. Reid, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems and Chairperson of the Department of Business Administration, oversees campus and community program implementation. He coordinates with Tennessee State University and industry partners to ensure compliance with the initiative, while also spearheading course delivery, community events, and reporting on progress to stakeholders.
This year’s showcase, themed “HBCU AI Smart: Coding and Creating a Future Without Limitations!”, emphasized the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve real-world problems — a challenge the CSU team embraced wholeheartedly.
Solving a real problem: Disengagement on college campuses
The Central State University C2 Innovation team identified a widespread issue affecting college campuses across the nation: students feeling disconnected and unaware of events, organizations, and opportunities around them. HYPE tackles this issue head-on by acting as a digital engagement hub.
The solution: HYPE app features and impact
With an interface designed to be both functional and fun, HYPE encourages students to:
Discover and save events: Browse upcoming activities and add them to their calendar.
Create and share content: Post photos, videos, and updates — just like your favorite social apps.
Connect with communities: Join group chats, comment on events, and find people with similar interests.
Engage with campus trends: Explore what’s trending via polls, challenges, and interactive posts.
Build a personal brand: Create a profile that highlights your talents, causes, and campus involvement.
Through this immersive experience, students stay informed and actively shape the campus culture.
Thoughtful design and development
The user interface (UI) is designed with familiarity and clarity in mind — think streamlined navigation, clean layouts, and an intuitive event map that pins campus activities in real time. The user experience (UX) includes features like event reminders, AI-powered suggestions based on student preferences, and built-in privacy protections.
Behind the scenes, team lead Dylan Damiano highlighted members' use of Firebase for secure sign-in methods (Google, phone, or email), image storage, and intelligent tagging. The app architecture is organized through Xcode and includes detailed folder structures, authentication flows, and a real-time database schema.
“We even built forecasting analytics to show which events students are most interested in,” Damiano explained. “That way, organizers can plan better experiences.”
Student reflections
Dylan Damiano
Damiano, a junior Computer Science major from Dayton, Ohio, led the team’s technical development.
“There were many hours of work, including front-end and back-end design, the creation of documentation, and facilitating coordination among team members working different schedules,” he said. “I learned more about designing better documentation, ensuring that the rest of the team can interpret it correctly, while also ensuring that we can get a minimum viable product/demo out as quickly as possible. Even though we didn't place (in the) top three, we can definitely go back to the drawing board and ensure a larger success with more time next year, given that we had primarily a month to prepare once our team was put together. The pace of the competition and uncertainty of what the other institutions had in mind made it enjoyable overall.”
Jalen Martin
Martin, a junior Business Administration major with a concentration in Marketing, grew more confident from the experience.
“One thing that surprised me the most was my ability to use my technical skills at a high level,” the Cincinnati, Ohio, native said. He is interested in similar experiences in the future. Ultimately, Martin aspires to work as a sports marketer for a professional league.
Raymond Rolle
Rolle, a graduating senior studying Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Management Information Systems, said he plans to carry the lessons learned into his future career as a bank branch manager or cybersecurity analyst.
“Participating in the competition allowed me to apply technology to solve real-world problems,” said Rolle, who is from Nassau, The Bahamas. “I developed a deeper understanding of app design, user experience, and collaboration. I was surprised by the impact of small design choices on overall functionality. I plan to carry these lessons into my future career in banking and IT, where innovation and user-focused solutions are essential.”
Ray Robinson III
Robinson, of Amherst, Ohio, is a junior majoring in Business Management. He aspires to be a funeral director or mortician after college.
“During the process of developing the app, I learned that with creating an app you must remain creative at all times and be able to make the app interesting to all different types of people. I was surprised you had to pay attention to every little detail. With the knowledge I've gained making this app, I hope to continue the app and pray that it begins to blow up (in popularity). My favorite part was creating the logo, as well as the name of app.”
Recognition and celebration
The students received strong feedback during the showcase. While awards varied across categories like Best Design and Best Pitch, CSU’s HYPE app stood out for its real-world application.
As part of the Apple and HBCU C2 initiative, Central State University proudly celebrates this team’s work as a model of what’s possible when students use technology to improve the world.
🎉 The CSU C2 Innovation team will host a Campus-Wide App Challenge Showcase in Spring 2026, and students from all majors are encouraged to join. For more information about app development opportunities or to get involved with coding and creativity using Apple technologies, contact Dr. Reid at 937-376-6648 or mreid@centralstate.edu.