Renowned Professional Learning Community Bolsters Implementation of Career-Driven Scholastic Esports Programs

(Atlanta, Georgia – October 15, 2024) – Forty-five educators from around the world have been selected by the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF) as this year’s class of scholastic fellows and mentors. Now in its fifth year, the NASEF Fellows program has gained notoriety for supporting and connecting esports and educational leaders as they develop unique pathways for young people to game and grow.

Scholastic fellows were chosen through a competitive process that brought in applicants from across North America and affiliates around the world. The Scholastic mentors have previously completed their own Fellows capstone project; they provide guidance and thought leadership as they work with this year’s fellows to guide them to greater success. 

NASEF leaders Jihan Johnston and James Wood provide individual coaching and collaborative sessions to help each fellow create their capstone project, a project or curriculum in their area of expertise. These guides are then published in the NASEF Community Library and freely available for adoption by others seeking to connect play and learning for meaningful education. 

“Participants are overjoyed when notified of their selection. They are excited to receive valuable coaching to help them refine their ideas and develop program guides that others will use to positively impact youth through esports,” said Johnson, NASEF esports education specialist. “They are thrilled to join this uplifting community where educators share their ideas and input and make each other collectively stronger.”

“Educators who leverage esports for classroom instruction or afterschool clubs and tournaments are on the leading edge of innovation,” said Wood, NASEF’s tournament administrator. “In the Fellows program, there’s a spirit of collaboration that energizes members to codify their ideas and help others create meaningful connections between the fun of esports and future career plans.” 

With over 175 leaders in more than 20 countries, the Scholastic Fellows program is a cornerstone of NASEF’s work and impact. As NASEF’s international influence expands, the variety of settings and applications of scholastic esports programs grows as well. The Fellows’ Community Library provides a vast set of resources to equip new and experienced teachers with readily usable materials to support their education programs around the world. This new group of Fellows and Mentors will add significantly to the collective body of knowledge for building and implementing esports clubs and classes.

Scholastic Fellows
• Andrew Vanden Heuvel, Kent District Library; Spring Lake, Michigan
• Anthony Bringetto, Clovis West High School; Fresno, California
• Areebah Ali Butt, Pakistan Esports Federation (PESF); Peshawar, Pakistan
• Arefa Parvin Taposhe, Bangladesh Youth Development And Electronic Sports Association; Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Bradley Smrstick, Hillsborough County Public Schools; Plant City, Florida
• Chris Meza, Napa County Office of Education; Napa, California
• Chris Garcia, San Diego County Office of Education; San Diego, California
• Damien Fuchs, Boys & Girls Club of Camden County; Camden, New Jersey
• Daniel Mooney, Spanish River High School; Boca Raton, Florida
• Elmer Flores, Uniondale High School; Uniondale, New York
• Hamed Al Jahwari, Omani Committee for Games and Electronic Sports; Al-Seeb, Muscat, Oman
• Jeffery Harrison, East Baton Rouge School System; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Jordan Whitaker, George Mason University; Fairfax, Virginia
• Jose Alvarado, ASTEC Charter Schools; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Lasya Kanekal, North County Trade Tech High; Vista, California
• Liesbeth Last, KTA Brugge; Bruges, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
• Lizzie Squires, HSDC Alton College; Eastleigh, Hampshire, United Kingdom
• Luka Trbović, The Alliance of Electronic Sports of Montenegro; Podgorica, Montenegro
• Marco Viteri, Cutler Bay Middle School; Miami, Florida
• Mario Mendez, Palm Springs Unified School District; Indio, California
• Melvin Breeden, Radar Live; Atlanta, Georgia
• Michael Trumbauer, Plainfield High School/Garden State Esports; Piscataway, New Jersey
• Milan Lalic, Alliance of Electronic Sports of Montenegro, Gaming Center; Herceg Novi, Montenegro
• Mingxin Hu, NASEF China; Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
• Nicholas Stahl, Hermon High School; Hermon, Maine
• Nicole Naditz, San Juan Unified School District; Sacramento, California
• Nyssa Mendoza, Caribbean Life Management Solutions; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
• Pamela Parks, Cedarcrest High School -- Riverview School District; Duvall, Washington
• Patricia Dennis, Pride Academy Charter School; East Orange, New Jersey
• Rachel Murray, PlayVS; Lincoln, Nebraska
• Ricardo Knight, The Barbados Esports Initiative Inc.; Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados
• Ryan May, New Mexico State University; Las Cruces, New Mexico

Scholastic Mentors

• Adrieanne Moliere, University View Academy/CAEL (Capital Area Esports League); Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Akil O'Connor, Scholastic Esports Research Center (SESport); Port of Spain, Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago
• Alvaro Brito, Los Angeles County Office of Education; Los Angeles, California
• Ariel Koepp; Moreno Valley Unified School District; Moreno Valley, California
• Craig Kerwin; QuUT Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Jennifer Lim; XCL World Academy; Singapore, Singapore
• Jordan Wissinger, Hartford Public Schools; Manchester, Connecticut
• Kathrin McGregor MEd, NBCT, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Laurie Lehman, Albuquerque Public Schools; Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Lindsey Neal, Fox Senior High School, Fox C-6 School District; Arnold, Missouri
• Marc Joubert, Ruckus

“The NASEF Scholastic Fellows and Mentors are global leaders in education today, and they are inspiring and training the global esports leaders of tomorrow,” said Gerald Solomon, NASEF executive director. “NASEF is proud of the new members of this wonderful program, and we salute the graduates who are facilitating both the growth of their own students and the scholastic esports movement overall.”

Learn more about the NASEF Scholastic Fellows and Mentors by following the hashtag #NASEFFellows on X/Twitter and LinkedIn. Profiles and video introductions will be published there.

About NASEF

NASEF is on a mission to provide opportunities for all students to use esports as a platform to acquire STEAM-based skills and critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life. NASEF operates under the umbrella of the World Wide Scholastic Esports Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The International Esports Federation has entrusted NASEF with training and supporting its 130+ member federations as they undertake development of scholastic esports programs. Find NASEF at NASEF.org and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and join the NASEF Community Discord to connect with others. 

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 Media contact: Claire LaBeaux, [email protected]