2020 - 2021 Scholastic Fellows and Mentors

The NASEF Scholastic Fellow Program provides a professional learning community, mentorship, tools, resources and instructional coaching for educators interested in connecting esports and learning in schools and out-of-school time / community-based organizations across the globe.

Learn about the 2020 - 2021 class below!

Meet the Scholastic Mentors - click on a name to learn more about them!

Meet the 2020 - 2021 Scholastic Mentors

​Chris Aviles is a teacher at Knollwood middle school in Fair Haven, New Jersey. There he runs the renowned FH Innovates program he created in 2015. Part of his FH Innovates program includes the FH Knights, the first middle school esports team in the country. As coach of the FH Knights, Aviles and his players take on all comers from around the country including other middle schools, high schools, and even colleges. Chris has been involved in esports since 1998 and he is passionate about growing the esportsedu movement. He has authored The Esports In Education Playbook and runs the NASEF affiliated nonprofit, Garden State Esports, to help other educators start esports teams in their New Jersey school.

"My favorite games are anything post-apocalyptic."

​I am an 8th Grade ELA teacher in Las Vegas, NV. I have been teaching for 21 years! I am currently the advisor for the BailyJay-gods eSports team. I am a streamer on Facebook and I absolutely love being a part of NASEF!

"My favorite game is Madden, I am infatuated with Football!!"

My name is Ryan Friederich and I'm the Technology Director at Spirit Lake CSD in Spirit Lake, Iowa. I am in my ninth year as a professional educator and I am passionate about technology integration in schools. I am fortunate to work in a progressive district that supports risk-taking and lifelong learning. I live in Spirit Lake with my wife and three children. I've always enjoyed video games but I am rediscovering my love for them through my 5 and 4-year-old and our many adventures on the Nintendo Switch!

"My favorite game is Celeste because it combines an amazing story with ridiculously challenging gameplay!"

Angelique Gianas is an English Teacher at Helix Charter High School in San Diego, California. Her passion lies in creating meaningful relationships with her students and teaching engaging lessons with their interests in mind. Angelique received her BA in English in 2014 and her MA in Teaching in 2019, both from San Diego State University. She was SDSU College of Education's Outstanding Graduate of 2019 for her work at Helix and in the master's program. Angelique founded Helix's competitive esports and casual gaming clubs, which host 60+ students each week. Her dream is to create and teach a Gaming As Literature course to encourage students to explore the literary depth of some of the best video games.

"My favorite game is a tie between Halo: Reach and Zelda: Ocarina of Time!"

My name is Ivet Gonzalez and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a mentor and collaborate with other NASEF scholastic fellows. I began my professional journey at Cal State Fullerton and graduated with a Bachelors in Liberal Studies and a minor in Computer Science. I then continued my teaching credential and Masters in Teaching at Chapman University. Immediately completing my student teaching, I began my teaching career at El Sol Academy. I have been an educator at El Sol for a total of 17 years and currently I am a TOSA as a STEAM Coordinator. I am an innovative and energetic teacher who is always looking for opportunities to support student's interest and learning.

"My favorite game is Super Mario Kart."

Tyler Hahn is the Director of the Cherokee Public Library in northwestern Iowa. He is a former NASEF scholastic fellow and has been recognized as one of Iowa’s STEM Gems. Hahn focuses his outreach on developing connected learning and college career awareness services for middle school youth through esports and community engagement.

"My favorite game is World of Warcraft. That was the first game where I read extensively on strategy and specs to become a better player. I learned how to really research and work together with others playing that game and made many great memories!"

J.D. Williams is a Technology Instructional Coach in the Laveen Elementary School District. Last year he started a middle school esports team that competed against other middle schools throughout the country. He is also looking to expand esports for elementary and middle school students within Arizona.

"My favorite game right now is Rocket League, but I also play Tetris and recently started playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater (again)."

I am a mathematics teacher who has a passion for all things gaming. I have an amazing family that I love to play games with, and my weekends will often find me playing board games with them. I have started gaming clubs, Esports teams, board game clubs, and hosted a middle school Esports invitational tournament. I enjoy woodworking and playing Magic the Gathering in my spare time.

"My favorite game is Magic the Gathering, because it has been the only game to keep me constantly excited for over a decade."

Maths teacher at Carmel College, Darlington, UK. I started our esports club in 2017 and met with real enthusiasm from our students. I coordinate and supervise matches and our esports club at lunch and after school.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because the programme provides a superb community of like-minded teachers, determined to provide opportunities for our students."

"My favorite game is Guild Wars 2."

A veteran of Broward County Public Schools, Randall Deich, is a Computer Science teacher at Lauderhill 6-12 STEM-MED and Founder/Chief Networking Officer at Regenerate Tech. Randall has a proven track record of bringing together schools, Industry partners, and community organizations that prepared high-need students for the current workforce. To address the minority gap in STEM careers, he partnered with a local software architect and together they designed and provided an authentic learning experience that empowered students with an in-depth knowledge of Computer Science. This partnership led to the formation of ReGenerate Tech, a not for profit foundation. Through this endeavor, Randall and his industry partners taught Computer Science solutions that addressed community needs. This after-school program allowed students to hone workforce skills leading them to real-world work experiences including student-led workshop facilitation, conference presentations, employment opportunities, paid internships, and national recognition in Computer Science.

"I chose to become a NASEF Fellow because the value NASEF brings to the post-secondary futures of my students. There is a need to address the high rate of minority student disconnection after high school. NASEF’s ecosystem provides the guidance necessary to start establishing career paths in high interest areas."

"My favorite game is Space Invaders. As an early entry in the arcade domain, SI provides an incredible level of intensity from it’s music to the random mystery saucer bonus. The game play elements of SI provide the foundation of game development for my students."

Experienced and national award-winning teacher with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Skilled in team leadership and man-management, coaching, organisational development and strategy. Strong educational professional who believes in growth mindset approaches and hard work. Proud to have helped create the first-ever BTEC in esports.

"I chose to become a NASEF Fellow because this fantastic programme will open up so unique opportunities for my students and college that it would be mad not to apply!"

"My favorite game is The Last of Us 2!"

I start in programming at 9 years old, i shell my first develop when i was 14 years old now, i'm developer for VR and Indie Games

"I chose to become a NASEF Fellow because I want bring the esports world to mexican students and show they can use they skills in esports."

"My favorite game is Legend of Zelda and Overwatch."

I am an educator with the School District of the City of York. I have been teaching in urban education for 14 years, and have been teaching Geometry, AP CS-A and AP CSP and now Exploration in Game Design. I have a love of #EdTech and #GamingToLearn! My second job is as an Adjunct Physical Science Professor and York College of Pennsylvania.

"I chose to become a NASEF Fellow because I wanted to impact the learning of my students with gaming."

"My favorite game right now is DC Universe Online, a fun MMORPG!"

I am a Technology teacher at South Dade Senior High School in Homestead Florida. I teach Digital Information, AP Computer Science Principles, and Gaming Foundation and Programming courses. This is my third-year teaching computer science related courses. When I started teaching computer science, I became very involved in the computer science community. I am currently the Miami CSTA Secretary, the 2019 and 2020 NCWIT South Florida Affiliate Educator Award Winner, and proud to help my school earn the 2019 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. I believe in service learning for my students and together we teach computer science in the community. We started a NASEF Scholastic Esports program last year in our school. My student ran a successful Smash Brothers tournament for the community at the local library last school year. I am excited incorporating Scholastic Esports into my courses and after-school club.

"I chose to become a NASEF Fellow because it provides me a professional learning community to learn more about curriculum, resources, and help shape the Scholastic Esports program for my school and community. To provide more opportunities for all students."

"My favorite game is Zelda. I remember spending countless hours playing when I was younger and feeling excited every time I made it to a new level. I remember getting so intrigued with the music and story."

I graduated from The University of California State Fullerton with a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences. I have a teaching credential in both science and Career Technical education. I have been teaching for the last 15 years at Marco Forster Middle School located in San Juan Capistrano. I began my career teaching physical science and then segued into a leadership position fostering the implementation of technology into both our curriculum and classroom. I currently teach Robotics and Coding, Oceanography, and Career Tech. I saw a need for a place for students to share their passion for technology and robotics, which led to the creation of an after school robotics team, which grew into a year-long elective course. I also discovered a common thread amongst many of these students, which was a passion for gaming, resulting in the expansion of my after school club to now feature Esports.

"I chose to become a NASEF Fellow because one of my strengths is that I have taught a wide range of subject matters and strive to pave the way for innovation in the classroom. I want to be the teacher that pioneers Scholastic Esports into my educational program."

"Today I really enjoy relating to my students through video games and at the same time appreciate the value of this burgeoning artform/industry. The games I currently play with the kids are Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite, and League of Legends."

Bradford Harris' role as Coordinator of Digital Innovation for Aldine ISD has been able to help empower school leaders with different digital initiatives in his district. He is very passionate about education and learning on a consistent basis. His passion for game-based learning and gamification for students, teachers, and administrators have developed into esports in schools. His primary focus in scholastic esports is aligning curriculum or learning strategies from the esports industry to his current state standards such as music, theater, and health. He also wants to promote exposure, equity, and diversity to all students especially students of color to the esports ecosystem. He serves as the Chief Learning Officer for TEXSEF (Texas Scholastic Esports Federation) where they will be launching their pilot season in the 2020-2021 school year.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because not only am I passionate about games but I am passionate about the learning, pedagogy, and strategy behind gaming as well. I also love learning and collaborating with other educators from around the world."

"My favorite game is if I have to be honest anything in the survial horror genera because of the story lines and creating thinking that is applied with characters. I also like role playing adventure games such as God of War, Batman, & Assassin's Creed."

Dr. Miles Harvey is a scholar gamer, middle school esports coach, streamer, and teacher educator from the University of New Mexico researching media literacy and digital game-based learning. He is a K-12 Language Arts and Media Literacy educator in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also instructs classes at the Central New Mexico Community College. Miles’ research interests focus on how students make sense of their learning through multimodal experiences afforded by mixed reality, video games, and research-based instructional strategies. He coaches New Mexico’s first-ever middle school esports team and competed in the North America’s first international middle school esports competition against Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2020.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because it would give me the opportunity to connect and work alongside some of the greatest educators from around the world."

"My favorite game of all time is Nier Automata because it has made me question everything I know about life got me back into thinking about philosophy. I now echo the thoughts of Jean Paul Sartre, "Existence precedes essence."

Steve Isaacs has been teaching since 1992. In 1998 began teaching in Bernards Township, NJ where he developed an internationally recognized middle and high school game development program. Steve is a pioneer in using VR and AR in the classroom. He is a champion for student choice and student, providing a choice based environment to help students find and nurture their passion for learning. Steve is an edtech influencer, community builder, and leader in game-based learning. He has brought commercial video games including Minecraft and Fortnite into his classroom to support students as content creators. Steve is actively involved in building the K12 to College Esports pipeline and co-founded the #EsportsEDU community as well as Garden State Esports. Steve was honored as the 2016 ISTE Outstanding Teacher and the PBS Digital Innovator representing the state of New Jersey.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I am passionate about helping to build the K-12 to College (and beyond) esports pipeline. As a middle school teacher, I want to broaden opportunities for elementary and middle schoolers in esports."

"My favorite game is Minecraft but I find it very cruel to ask someone to pick a favorite game :) As a sandbox game with such a low floor / high ceiling I am continually inspired and blown away by what's possible and what kids can create and engineer."

I am an education of Automotive Grade 10,11 and 12 ,Physical Sciences Grade 10 and Technology Grade 8 at General Smuts High School in South. In addition to that, I am a graduate in Mechanical Engineering and Post Graduate Certificate in Education Specialising in Technical Subjects and Mathematics. Equally important is the fact that I am a strong believer of the fact that as educators we must be life long learners and we should always learn throughout the journey of life. As we embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we are called upon to also embrace the Internet of Things and the Internet of Everything. In view of that esports offers a unique opportunity of preparing our learners for the future job market .In the same vein esports empowers our learners with intrinsic skills needed to navigate the challenges of life.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I believe once learners engage in esports they will be ready for the future job market, will have improvement in critical skills in life such as teamwork, communication, leadership and strategic thinking. Moreover I am of the view that humanity is in a constant state of change."

"My favorite game is card games. This is because I have been exposed to the game in the physical environment."

Hey there, my name is Alex Jean Keeler. I'm a 26 year old ex-pro gamer, an MBA graduate at 21 years old, a half- decade experienced business consultant and ecommerce expert, and I come from a family of educators with nearly 2 centuries of teaching under their belts. Through my unique experiences I've been blessed to be able to travel the country and see first hand how gaming can be a powerful community-uniting and learning tool. It was this first hand experience that has propelled me to pivot in a young corporate career and dedicate my resources to serving this goal shared by NASEF. I believe that through the utilization of emerging technology in combination with dedicated educators and the implementation of the worlds fastest growing industry, we have a bright future for our students ahead of us.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I knew that this community of esports-minded educators and technology experts will be the cornerstone of propelling my goal into fruition. I believe it will be this community that breaks through years worth of barriers and will be responsible for finally delivering on our shared vision to cultivate a scholastic esports environment."

"My favorite game is World of Warcraft, the worlds greatest MMORPG to ever exist. The mix of community and sociability within the game, to its multi-dimensioned esports leagues, and its deep sea level depths of lore and gameplay options. I've been a fan and player since its inception when I was in 5th grade."

Clint has worked with K-12 schools, universities, and private and nonprofit companies both in the US and internationally, focusing on integrating innovative technology to improve learning, teaching, and business. He has designed and implemented a “soft skills” curriculum at multiple high schools in southeastern Connecticut which further cultivated his interests in educational technology integration, esports management, and support of mastery-based learning.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I wanted to be part of a grassroots and international community providing education + esports opportuities for students."

"My favorite game is Overwatch....actually that is not true. Heroes of the Storm is my favorite game but my 19 year old son says it is the "old man" MOBA and I shouldn't tell people."

A husband to One, a dad to 2, and a CTE teacher/mentor to many. Just a creative educator inspiring the future and leading by example.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I want to learn more about this ever growing digital sport and to be the best you have to learn from the best."

"My favorite game is Super Mario Bros. My first official entry into the world of video games. The one reason I love gaming."

Dalton McGhiey is the Director of Esports for Springfield Public Schools and Head Esports Coach for Lincoln Land Community College, both in Springfield, IL, USA. He is a high school biology teacher at Lanphier High School. He shares his home with his chinchilla, Shiera. McGhiey's earliest gaming memories involve a Nintendo 64 and an original PlayStation with only one hour of play time allowed each day by his parents. Throughout the years, the games he's logged the most hours on are Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005), MLB: The Show, Super Smash Brothers, and Overwatch. Dalton brought esports into his city with the Capitols being the first varsity sport to pull the three high schools together collaboratively and they immediately became title contenders on the state scene. McGhiey aspires to earn his masters and doctorates degrees in education and continue to help esports thrive in Springfield, IL and abroad.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because esports offer a unique medium to diversify students’ educations, elevate their high school experience, and shape the leaders of tomorrow. Kids love it and it helps them, so there’s no down side. Esports need strong ambassadors to bring the sport into cultural normalcy and I believe I am one such ambassador."

"My favorite game is Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005) or Overwatch. I recognize the limitations Star Wars: Battlefront II had as a game, but they get lost in time as nostalgia takes over. Galactic Conquest remains one of the coolest game modes in any game I played. Overwatch is the game I’ve played the most and my favorite esport."

Earth Science/Engineering major, but in general a ridiculously awesome fountain of random knowledge. 3D printing educator. Game addict for as long as I can remember. I may work in a library, but I am anything but a librarian. One day I'll make up an awesome title that encompasses my job. That day will probably always be tomorrow.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because gaming has been my life for over 20 years now. To be able to integrate it into my job and use it as a teaching tool....dream come true. And my mom thought I was wasting my time. Joke's on her."

"My favorite game is Diablo II if we're talking all time favorite. Aside from that I'm a Nintendo junkie, so Pokemon, Zelda, Mario. All other platforms I lean towards first person shooters, puzzles, and rpg's."

Rubi Adams is a UX designer based in Mexico and San Francisco, with a degree as an Integral Designer from the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City. She has a passion for developing software and hardware applications using Open Hardware Platforms, and Unity. Notable achievements include 1st place at the 2015 Wearable Competition Challenge at the Center of Digital Culture in Mexico City, 2nd place at the 1997 Coding Challenge, and an Honorable Mention in the 2019 Technovation competition. In addition, she recently has been accepted into the 2020 NASEF Scholastic Fellow program.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I want to collaborate in this initiative. I have always had a passion for working with children and teenagers, and I feel that the NASEF program is a fantastic opportunity for them to develop skills, self expression, and community on an international stage."

"My favorite game is hue, Minecraft, The Walking Dead: Season Two, Overwatch."

I am a high school Digital Media Arts CTE teacher in SoCal. My particular pathway includes Animation, Computer Graphics, & Multimedia. My classes also fall under the VAPA (Visual & Performing Arts) category. Prior to teaching at the secondary level, I taught in the primary grades. I may be one of a few who has taught at each SVUSD school they've attended: Gates Elementary, Serrano Intermediate, and El Toro High School.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I would like to help develop curriculum/pacing guides and promote its usefulness to all grade levels. I am especially interested in bringing the English/CTE Esports curriculum to ETHS."

"My favorite game is Overwatch! The character development and artwork is beautiful."

Dr. Corrine Perrella currently serves as the Advanced Co-Curricular Specialist for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD. In her role she works closely with schools to ensure students can participate in after-school activities for which they have passion, show perseverance, and express enjoyment. In her work, Dr. Perrella has been instrumental in advocating for programs which encourage student voice and choice. A driving value in her work is to foster meaningful exchanges between students, teachers, staff, and community members outside of the classroom.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because being a NASEF Scholastic Fellow will support my work in building an Esports program within my district. I believe it is critical we offer student choice and voice in after-school programming; Esports is what students are demanding."

"My favorite games are Zelda and Super Smash Bros."

Nick Rider is the Founder and President of the educational non-profit, Esports Ohio, which specializes in the organization, oversight and competition structure of scholastic esports at the high school level. He is also Director of Technology for the Carey Exempted Village School District, ad-junct professor and designer of the esports management and coaching program at Rhodes State College, the Carey High School Esports Coach, and a high school educator. Throughout his 15 years of education experience he has spearheaded several STEM initiatives, served on several educational advisory committees, most notably the Ohio Department of Education Digital Task Force, and has been selected to present innovative strategies at countless educational technology conferences.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I want to create opportunities for students to become more involved with school by utilizing esports as an educational change agent to use their passion in gaming to ignite enthusiam in learning and succeeding."

"My favorite games is Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Last of Us. The stories, game physics, textures, character development and overall execution of the variety of things you can do throughout the cinematic experiences are an amazing accomplishment."

My name is David Amaro Ruiz, an educator and student from México born and raised, my background comes from sports, from a young age I evolved from aspiring athlete to coach in different disciplines which gave me my first opportunity to learn and apply that knowledge to help others, discovering a passion of mine early on, as such graduated as an administrator and director of sport enterprises with the idea of promoting sports and the values that come from it as a career path. Unexpectedly, due to the ways life works, I found myself in the world of Esports, developing communities and learning about them and the potential that they show when it comes to sharing ideas and supporting each other, working with Anahuac Esports and NASEF fellows program I hope to learn as much as I can, and give back to the wonderful world of scholastic Esports.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I have an opportunity to become one of the first educator´s in my country, to promote Esports and videogames as more than just an entertainment medium, to show others that we can reach students in their own passions and help them be better people through them, learning with others and developing our dreams together."

"My favorite games is Super smash bros. melee for the gamecube as it´s my childhood game, nowadays team games as Overwatch and Smite have earned a spot in my heart, as well as Trailmakers since i see great value, using it as a teaching tool that promotes creativity and discussion for solutions with students."