The ESA Foundation has announced a new scholarship program designed to help women and minorities take their place among the next generation of videogame developers.
Full-time undergraduate students have until May 15 to apply for one of fifteen $3,000 scholarships, the ESA said in a statement. Students enrolled in courses including graphic design, computer science, animation, programming, digital entertainment and software engineering at accredited four-year colleges and universities are eligible for the assistance.
“Positions in our industry are high-paying jobs with a remarkable potential to inspire and entertain millions of Americans. We hope these scholarships will encourage students to pursue careers in this growing and lucrative field,” said ESA Chief Executive Michael Gallagher. “We offer this program to help create our industry’s next generation who will boost the industry’s creative capital with new and unique approaches.”
The videogame industry earned record-high revenues of $9.5 billion in 2007, and grew at four times the rate of the national economy between 2003-2006. More than 200 colleges, universities and technical schools in the U.S. offer courses in videogame design. Students interested in applying for the scholarship should check out scholarshipamerica.org for details and application links.
Established in 1998, the ESA Foundation promotes and supports charitable causes that can help make a difference in the lives of young people. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised over $7.8 million dollars for organizations including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, PAX, YouthVision Challenge, the Work, Achievement, Values and Education program, and many others. More information is available at the ESA Foundation website.
