Berrien RESA has been a driving force in eSports education and competition in the region. One of its eSports expert is being nationally recognized for his efforts. Details came to us in a statement from Berrien RESA:
The Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF) has selected John Phillips, Berrien RESA Technology & Innovation Consultant, as a NASEF Scholastic Fellow. Forty-four fellows were chosen through a competitive process that brought in applicants from around the world to participate in Year Four of the NASEF Scholastic Fellows Program, joining more than 120 existing Fellow graduates.
The organization said Phillips has demonstrated an enthusiastic commitment to students along with a desire to develop and refine new interest-driven learning opportunities that connect meaningful learning to play.
“We’re thrilled to welcome John to the global community of NASEF scholastic fellows,” said Jorrel Batac, director of the program and chief operating officer at NASEF. “The program couples personal and professional development opportunities with guided collaboration with peers around the world. By sharing ideas and working together, the fellows will collectively improve the impacts of this unique educational platform – and local students will be the first to benefit!”
The NASEF Fellows program is known internationally as a meaningful program that provides eSports and educational leaders the opportunity to collaborate with a global community in developing unique pathways for young people to game and grow.
Each fellow has the opportunity to design, develop, and implement eSports clubs and career pathways that empower young people through their interests and passion around gaming and eSports. Phillips has led the Southwest Michigan Esports League for 5 years, serving students from Berrien, Cass, Van Buren, Allegan, Kalamazoo, Kent, and Ottawa counties. Additionally, he is one of the project managers for a statewide eSports initiative aimed to increase access to esports opportunities to all students. This project is called Esports Amplified and is funded by the REMC Association of Michigan.
Phillips commented, “I am absolutely flattered that the innovative work that we are doing at Berrien RESA is being recognized at an international level, I am very excited to continue contributing to the growth of opportunities for students locally and around the world.”
