Gamers level up with esteemed scholarship

By overcoming multiple handicaps, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dysgraphia and a myriad of language-related learning disabilities, UCF graduate student Hunter Hart feels he can accomplish anything.

One of those accomplishments? Conquering the high cost of graduate school to continue his goal of becoming a video game 3D artist, which has now become less of a burden due to receiving a prestigious Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences scholarship.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in graphic design, Hart strived to learn more about the video game industry through UCF's 16-month graduate program offered by the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy.

When accepted to FIEA, Hart was faced with another obstacle in life: covering the $33,000 bill for tuition, the cost of living and the disability-related expenses.

"Unfortunately, federal and state-funded grant programs are not available for college students in their graduate study years, even for those students who demonstrate exceptional financial need such as myself," Hart said.

Without need-based funding, Hart found himself searching for private scholarships and loans when he received the $2,500 Randy Pausch scholarship given by the AIAS.

The AIAS is the professional nonprofit video game organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts. The academy has more than 20,000 members from the games industry; publishers such as Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, as well as developers Bioware/Pandemic, Day One Studios, Epic Games and Insomniac Games.

Hart's handicaps have served as roadblocks in his life, but also as propellers. He struggled in kindergarten when his peers were learning how to read, write and speak, rather easily.

In elementary school, when other children were waking up, Hart was already awake, working with his reading specialist. When the school day ended, instead of going to extracurricular activities, Hart worked with speech and occupational specialists to learn how to speak clearly and build motor skills, and had private tutor sessions to help him learn what was taught in class that day because of his inability to stay focused in school.

In middle school, Hart was diagnosed with Primary Immune Deficiency. To combat this new challenge, Hart enrolled in Florida Virtual High School, which required access to a computer Hart's family could not afford. With help from family and friends, Hart was able to acquire the means to build a computer for himself.

"The success of building my own computer opened the gateway to a world beyond my imagination," Hart said. "Being able to play games online broadened my skills, masked my disabilities and empowered me to overcome obstacles. Playing video games for fun developed into a hobby."

With a newfound passion, Hart was set on creating a career path in the video game industry with a long-term goal of producing educational games with interactive media that teaches and engages.

"Video games provided me with a rich landscape of adventure and challenge that captured my imagination, which sparked new ways of thinking, learning and planning," Hart said. "As a video game artist, I intend to serve society by designing educational software."

Now, Hart's ultimate dream is becoming a reality with the help of the Randy Pausch scholarship, which is helping fulfill another student's dream, as well.

From playing Super Mario at age 2 to creating video games of her own, Melissa Kronenberger, a UCF alumna, has always been fascinated with the gaming industry.

After graduating from UCF in the spring with a digital media degree, Kronenberger was not ready to stop learning about games. She applied to Savannah College of Art and Design to obtain a master's degree in interactive design and game development in hopes of extending her knowledge of the gaming industry.

After being accepted to SCAD, Kronenberger realized she needed scholarships to help pay for the next two years of graduate school. Kronenberger applied and received the $2,500 Randy Pausch scholarship without knowing how prestigious the award was.

"Now I'm quite humbled and honored to be receiving the award," Kronenberger said. "Master programs have almost no funding allocated to them, and paying for my expensive master's degree is going to be an absolute nightmare and send me quite a distance into debt. But it's important for me that I do this. The scholarship will help alleviate some of that burden."

Debby Chen, communication manager at AIAS, is excited to give the Randy Pausch scholarship to deserving students.