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."