NEED TO KNOW
- In March 2025, a select group of student content creators from Los Angeles were invited to attend an exclusive Apple Student Experience
- Attendees playfully nicknamed the event “Apple Campus” or “Apple University”
- Heaven Marley was among the creators chosen to participate, receiving a MacBook Air and hands-on guidance on maximizing Apple devices for college and beyond
Apple Campus, a.k.a. “Apple University,” is a one-day exclusive event hosted by the global technology company.
The invite-only experience was designed to offer student content creators based in Los Angeles a glimpse into Apple’s innovative products and how they can enhance academic and creative endeavors.
For content creator Heaven Marley, it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
“I had just landed in the U.S. that morning and went straight to the event because I could not miss it,” Marley told PEOPLE exclusively. “It was something that was not on my 2025 bingo card but has been one of my highlights of this year so far.”
When it comes to gaining access to the event, it’s still unclear how attendees are being chosen for the Apple Student Experience. There is virtually zero information about the event on the company’s website. According to Marley, her invitation was completely unexpected.
“I got the email and thought it was spam at first,” she admits. “Then we scheduled a meeting and got to talking about how Apple and their ecosystem have made me into the student and content creator I am today.”
Being invited to such an exclusive event was a big accomplishment for Marley, indicating that all the hard work she put into creating an online brand was paying off. Attendees were also given brand-new MacBook Airs.
Heaven Marley/TikTok
Upon arrival, Marley learned that the event was structured, purposefully, to imitate a regular school day, offering an array of classes designed to help attendees optimize their workflow and learn new skills.
One of her first classes, “Get Your MacBook Ready with Me,” was taught by Julia Krist, who guided the students through the process of customizing their new laptops.
The day continued with a session on Final Cut Pro, where attendees learned about editing techniques and how to refine their video content. After a refreshing break at the Apple Café, the program ended with two classes: one in brand marketing and the other about Freeform, a digital whiteboard application.
When reflecting on her time at Apple Campus, Marley says it was the Apple team’s warm welcome and the chance to meet other student content creators that stood out to her the most. “It was an amazing environment because we all related on so many levels,” she says.
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For students considering attending similar events, the creator strongly recommends they go. “It was an invite-only event, but if they’re able to get invited, go!” Marley emphasized, recognizing the immense value in educational experiences.
Balancing academic life and content creation is often a challenge for many students in the creator space, and Marley is no exception. Her days are busy as a political science and business administration student on the pre-law track at Loyola Marymount University.
Courtesy of Apple
“It is very hard balancing everything,” she reveals. “Some days it’s 70% student, 30% content creator, and then the next day it would completely flip.”
As she navigates her busy schedule, Marley also struggles with feelings of Impostor Syndrome. “My identity switches from the rooms that I am in and from the people I am with,” she says. When people ask her who she is or what she does, she always has a different answer, from student to content creator or legal assistant. She also interns as a sports agent and does some modeling, making labels even harder.
“It can be hard at times because I never want to answer with just one, because I am all of those versions of me at once,” Marley explains. Nevertheless, Apple Campus helped her embrace her multifaceted identity, offering support and validation from fellow creators and industry experts.
For students who aspire to be content creators but are unsure where to start or how to balance it with their studies, Marley’s advice is clear: “Make time for your dreams…Sometimes there would be times I have to sacrifice sleep, hangouts, and my time, but I can 100% say it was worth it.”
