2021 - 2022 Scholastic Fellows and Mentors

​Aidar Abdullin is a Grade 5 Homeroom Teacher with ten years of experience working in Education. Aidar worked as a teacher in various international schools in Russia, West Africa, and Kuwait. He is an Elementary School Homeroom teacher and is responsible for teaching core academic subjects to students using different Apps and digital tools. He is holding a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Education. Aidar is a powerful force in the workplace and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage students to work hard and succeed. Aidar is inspired daily by his great wife and daughter. He has a unique hobby of growing pumpkins and has a Pumpkin seed collection of more than 100 types from different countries.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I would like to learn more and grow as a professional."

"My favorite games are Mario and online Chess!"

This is my 18th year in education. I can remember playing pinball machines as a kid as well. Trying to make a quarter last at least 30 minutes. Then video arcades in high school. One of my favorites was Star Wars by Atari with the seat and enclosure. I tried to be the best Jedi Fighter ever. When the opportunity came up to offer an esports program. I leaped at the opportunity. This is Del Norte’s 3rd year and I am proud to be the esport coach with a winning record and have two 3rd place state finishes last year.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I hope to expand my knowledge in coaching esports and grow Del Norte’s Esports Program to be a global leader in scholastic esports. Over the last couple of years Del Norte Esports has grown from 15 gamers to this year teaching an esports elective as well as a gaming lab with over 17 machines, over 30 gamers, team magers, streamers, shoutcasters, and media specialists.

"Right now my favorite game is hard to say, I play many games depending on the platform. Right now the game I spend the most time on is Animal Crossing. My Oculus is so much fun. But if it is a mobile game then Angry Birds Friends, on PC Rocket League and recently I started playing LOL I might have about 100 hours in and still feel like a noob."

Nevine Asfour is currently a Head of IT Departement of CPC/Pre-IG Alexandria International School , as well as Microsoft Innovator Educator Expert, Microsoft trainer, Merge ambassador, teach SDGs ambassador, MineCraft Mentor, Microsoft Certified , Wakelet Ambassador and Cospaces EDU ambassador. Nevine’s teaching interests include programming, coding, computer science and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .Nevine has excelled in training the teachers on how to use Learning Management Systems (LMS) and a variety of other educational online programs and software. She was greatly honored to be a part of the Educational Exchange that took place in Paris in 2019. That, granted her an outstanding opportunity to be able to train a large number of teachers. She graduated from the Faculty of Commerce, One of Nevine’s most important beliefs and mottos in life is that education is a human right that should be granted to everyone and she considers it a magical pathway in the process of each country’s development. In 2020, and adding up to her enormous achievements, she was honored to receive the award of Outstanding Achievement from Microsoft and the Ministry of Education. She is honored to be part of Microsoft Ignite The Tour in Dubai 2020. Moreover, she proudly represented Middle East in the North American Scholastic Federation Competition 2020 NASEF Minecraft Masters Global Competition.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because a computer science teacher and head of IT. I am responsible for students from grade 1 till grade 9 using IGCSE curriculum. My life changed when I started using coding in games like Minecraft. I taught java script and python and practice in Minecraft. I joined NASEF competition last year. My students never forgot this experience and they keep asking about NASEF competition I hope I can go through it again . More over being using your curriculum and connect across the world thats what my students need . I am proud to be part of NASEF."

"My favorite game is Minecraft Education."

Sanjay Kumar Bhagat works as American Spaces Program Specialist with the U.S. Embassy New Delhi. Sanjay has been in the area of Public Diplomacy for more than 17 years now. Prior to the U.S. Embassy, he worked in the area of information research & analysis and content creation—both in government and in corporate set up. Sanjay has majored in Life Sciences, Information Science, Library & Information Science, and a PG Diploma in Marketing Management. He speaks English, Hindi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Maithili, some French, and a bit of Hungarian. When off serious work, he loves public speaking, networking with people, driving on hills, and photography.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I love the concept of tapping on the inherent interest of today's youth in active gaming and modulating constructive leadership and learning activities onto it to channelize their energy in a positive and productive way. I believe that the NASEF Scholastic Fellowship will give me the needed platform to network and learn from the stalwarts in the field, which will immensely help me start the eSports Club in the American Spaces across India and collaborate with our counterparts in the South Asia region."

"I am not an active gamer in today’s date but I love seeing my son build his farm on Minecraft and I would love to pick up on some of the games from him and my counterparts to choose my best one soon. Yeah…!"

Melissa Burns is an award-winning educator and international speaker within the field of scholastic esports. Specialized in the integration of arts and technology in education, she is the founder and president of the first competitive middle school esports program in Winnipeg, Canada (MYEMB est. 2016) and Esport Canada (est. 2020), a not-for-profit k12 scholastic esports organization with offerings in both curricular and varsity gaming. She is actively involved in esports advocacy and research, and recently published a chapter for the academic research book “Esports Research and its Integration in Education” (IGI Global, 2021).

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I have a passion for game-based education through scholastic esports and am committed to providing the best opportunities for Canadian students and resources/support for Canadian educators. NASEF will allow me to learn alongside a global PLN of educators who are committed to exploring progressive pedagogy through scholastic gaming."

"League of Legends for the incredibly immersive game experience it provides. The strategy and regular patches keep the game itself fresh, the differentiated positions that allow multiple play styles to feel valuable within the team comp, the lore and art that add depth and investment within the game world, the quality of music, audio, and video production, and of course the pro scene and LCS (Go C9!). For my middle school gamers (and my own 5 year old son), I’ve been loving Pokemon Unite for a similar gaming experience."

High School teacher of distinction. Passionate, pragmatic and a very strong drive for excellence

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I would like to mingle with other like-minded professional and also be able to reach out more significantly to my learners through games."

"My favorite game is not sure as of yet."

- Experienced as a Professor in education related to game development for 17 years.
- Skilled in Lecturing, Curriculum Development, Teaching, Higher Education, and University Teaching. - Experienced in esports business and education in Korea.
- Have extensive knowledge of IT and VR/AR content production and has extensive business experience.
- Have a very strong Network in Korean Game Industry. - Have good relations with the Korean Game Rating And Administration Committee and the Government.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because in order for South Korea to continue its title as an "esports country," it must focus on esports education. However, there is no perception of esports education in Korea and there is no system to nurture esports players and experts. So I applied for NASEF's fellowship program."

"When I was in my 30s, I liked strategy games such as Starcraft, and in 40s, I liked FPS games such as Call of Duty, and now I like open world games such as Horizon."

PK is a STEAM Content Specialist and Instructional Designer with a particular passion for teaching computer science and gaming. He serves his school district as the "Guru of Gaming" where he has 7 Varsity programs and 11 middle school Esports programs. Through the scholastic lens, PK sees gaming as the most important educational opportunity of his life and has dedicated himself to bringing gaming opportunities to every student.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I am passionate about creating STEAM educational opportunities for all students and I know that nearly all students play video games. It is at this point of confluence between gaming and education that I want to learn more about how to develop these student’s passion for gaming into that for STEAM subjects too."

"My favorite game is Echo Arena for competition and No Man’s Sky for fun."

Hello! I am a teen programming librarian at the Indian Creek Library. I have a Master's Degree in Library Science from Emporia State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and Creative Writing from Wichita State University. Before I was a teen librarian here I worked in a Makerspace, as a writer for Dystopia Rising (A Live Action Role Play Company), and a magician's assistant! I am interested in cosplay, anime, video games, role playing games, and the fine arts!

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I want to learn and provide the best resources for my teens. I strive to be a leader in my community and share what I learn with others."

"My favorite game is Hearthstone! Though I have been playing League of Legends recently :)."

Andy Gribbin is the Director of STEM Education at Reach Cyber Charter School in Pennsylvania.  In this capacity, he works to help plan and create STEM opportunities within the school.  The school supports STEM initiatives in many ways including regularly infusing STEM activities and lessons.  The school also holds regular competitions such as the Winter STEM Challenge.  As part of the STEM program, Reach Cyber Charter School offers their students the chance to engage in STEM Camps.  These STEM Camps include many ways to engage with STEM including opportunities for Esports.   Andy has worked in education for more than 20 years.  Starting out teaching in Virginia at the former Godwin Middle School, Andy had the opportunity to teach middle school science for many years.  After teaching in brick and mortar schools, he joined cyber education about 10 years ago and has had different roles including teaching, family support and administration.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I see a need for the unique opportunities that it will afford me to help offer at the school I am lucky enough to be employed."

Amy Harris is a mom in her tenth year of teaching CTE Computer Science, and has been the adult in the room for Hart Career Center’s esports program since its inception in 2016. She is also a director and the treasurer for the Missouri Scholastic Esports Federation. Her previous job titles include IT Director and Web Developer. She is easily distracted by conversations on DC, Star Wars, Zelda, and any number of other geek culture topics.

"I chose to become a NASEF Scholastic Fellow because I would love the opportunity to bring my kids (and ultimately the students of Missouri) a career-focused esports experience that’s been both inspired and vetted by a hive of minds with the same goals."

"My favorite game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, followed closely by Breath of the Wild – but I wouldn’t turn down a game of Clue!"