ESA Foundation Supports Future Leaders of the Video Game Industry

Since 2007, the ESA Foundation has awarded nearly $700,000 in scholarships to more than 230 women and minority students across the U.S. to help foster greater diversity within the video game industry’s workforce and create a pipeline of well-educated job candidates. Each year, 30 students receive $3,000 to pursue their dream of earning a video game-related college degree.

Dreams like those of Teresa Ibarra, an incoming freshman at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., who is among the recently announced 2015-2016 scholarship recipients. Ibarra, majoring in computer science, questioned whether – as a minority woman - the field of study was the right fit for her, until she received the ESA Foundation scholarship.

“A big thought that I’ve carried with me is that I don’t know that I can do this [program]. I often times think, ‘Is this the right place for me as a woman of color?’ But no matter what I think, this scholarship means that there are people out there who truly believe in me, and believe that I can do this. That means a lot.”

Because of your generosity, Teresa and 29 other college students will advance their studies and start along a path to professional success. To learn more about this year’s recipients, please see the full list below and visit our YouTube page to view more scholarship winner videos.

With your support, the ESA Foundation is making a positive, direct impact in the lives of today’s youth across the country through its scholarship program. Thank you for helping them turn their dreams into reality.

To learn more about the ESA Foundation scholarship or to donate, please visit www.ESAFoundation.org.