The Entertainment Software Association Foundation (ESAF) has awarded 30 female and minority students, including high school seniors and currently enrolled full-time college students, scholarships which will be used to attain degrees in video-game related fields.
Oh LAWDY I love reporting news like this.
Why do I love reporting news like this? Because it’s rock solid evidence that the video game industry and video games themselves are becoming more and more accepted, in society, as a mainstream part of our culture. Years ago, before the explosion of social and mobile gaming drew 84 billion housewives, grandmothers, cheerleaders and cocktail waitresses in to the world of video gaming, gamers were looked upon as fringe members of society; Anti-social nerds with screaming cases of sociophobia and really bad hygiene problems. Now, everybody and their great-aunt plays video games of some form or another and the detractors, who exist as stand-outs now, are growing fewer and fewer all the time.
“We are proud to support these outstanding students as they follow their academic and professional dreams,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA, the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “By providing access to critical education and technical skills, the scholarship program helps to cultivate young, ambitious game developers and future leaders of our industry. These scholarship recipients represent the next generation of innovative thinkers, who will create games and technologies that will drive our industry’s continued growth and success.”
Drive our industry’s continued growth and success. Yes, please!
Each of the 30 recipients will score $3,000 which they will be able to put toward a degree which will prepare them for roles within companies involved in the ever-changing entertainment software industry. The people selected for these scholarships represent a talent pool which covers almost all aspects of game development including graphic design, animation, programming, computer science and software engineering.
At this time, 381 American post-secondary schools offer courses, degree programs and professional certificates in video game design, programming and development.
Hotness!
And now, here’s a list of the lucky winners:
Harika Adivikolanu
Hometown: San Ramon, CA
Institution: Arizona State University
Major: Applied Computer Science
Rahel Badee-Thomas
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Institution: Savannah College of Art and Design
Major: Animation Arts & Design
Catherine Bailey
Hometown: Portland, OR
Institution: Ringling College of Art and Design
Major: Computer Animation
Mary Burbridge
Hometown: Campbell Hall, NY
Institution: Champlain College
Major: Game Art & Animation
Jesse Chand
Hometown: Lodi, NJ
Institution: University of Southern California
Major: Computer Science, Game Development Specialization
Sabrina Chaney
Hometown: Spring, TX
Institution: Savannah College of Art and Design
Major: Animation
William Connors III
Hometown: Norwalk, CT
Institution: Stanford University
Major: Computer Science & Engineering
Lindsay Corriveau
Hometown: Lake George, NY
Institution: Messiah College
Major: Film/Digital Media
Kevin Haro
Hometown: Yakima, WA
Institution: Yakima Valley Community College
Major: Computer Science
Javier Heard
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Institution: DeVry University
Major: Game & Simulation Programming
Eileen Heilsnis
Hometown: Apex, NC
Institution: Savannah College of Art and Design
Major: Visual Effects
Angel Hernandez
Hometown: Orange, CA
Institution: University of California-Irvine
Major: Computer Science
Kristin Jarrett
Hometown: Buena Park, CA
Institution: California State University-Fullerton
Major: 3-D Modeling & Animation
Jackie Kan
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Institution: Otis College of Art and Design
Major: Digital Media
Kim Krueger
Hometown: Port Washington, WI
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Major: Media Arts & Design
Jordan Kunzika
Hometown: Hartford, CT
Institution: Dartmouth College
Major: Computer Science
Nicole Maiorano
Hometown: Redmond, WA
Institution: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Major: Animation & Game Design
Valerie Malcomb
Hometown: Elkins, WV
Institution: Marshall University
Major: Computer & Information Sciences, Software Development and Game Programming Concentrations
Ashley Miller
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Institution: DePaul University
Major: Computer Games Development
Marissa Morgan
Hometown: Climax, MI
Institution: Western Michigan University
Major: Computer Science & Arts
Anna Nguyen
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Institution: Drexel University
Major: Game Art
Daniel Oliveira
Hometown: Wellington, FL
Institution: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Major: Real-Time Interactive Simulation
Emily Russo
Hometown: Uniontown, OH
Institution: Kent State University
Major: Animation & Game Design
Elaine Slezewski
Hometown: Green Bay, WI
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Stout
Major: Game Design & Development
Eric Smith
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Major: Computer Science
Shayna Strong
Hometown: Medina, TN
Institution: Middle Tennessee State University
Major: Electronic Media Communication
Stephanie Verish
Hometown: Brookfield, WI
Institution: Ringling College of Art and Design
Major: Computer Animation
Angelita Wylie
Hometown: Folsom, CA
Institution: California State University-Chico
Major: Game Art & Animation
Steffi Yavar
Hometown: Miami, FL
Institution: Savannah College of Art and Design
Major: Animation & Game Design
Christine Yi
Hometown: South Pasadena, CA
Institution: California College of the Arts
Major: Animation
Congratulations to all of you who have received these scholarships. Get to work on making more games that we can all play, enjoy and love. We at FEZ look forward to reviewing your work!
About the ESA:
The ESA Foundation is dedicated to supporting positive programs and opportunities that make a difference in the lives of America’s youth. The Foundation seeks to harness the collective power of the interactive entertainment industry to create positive social impact in our communities. We support geographically diverse projects and programs that benefit American boys and girls of all races and religions. To date, the Foundation has raised over $11 million for a wide variety of worthy causes.
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