Full Sail University and Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute are honored to celebrate the four students recently awarded with the first-ever round of esports scholarships to students involved in the Full Sail Armada esports community. The recently renamed Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress is just one component in this multi-year, esports-focused partnership, as it also includes $50,000 each year in scholarship funds for qualifying students.

“Our team of specialists at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute supports every kind of athlete in this community, and it’s wonderful that we are able to partner with Full Sail University to provide scholarships to the Armada esports athletes,” said Carlos Carrasco, president of Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute. “Giving back to the community is at the core of our mission, and we look forward to continuing to support Full Sail students and the Armada.”

In this inaugural year for the esports scholarship, each of the four students awarded represents one of the four areas of focus in the Full Sail Armada community – leadership, gameplay, shoutcasting, and community – with each student receiving funds ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 toward their Full Sail education.

The four Full Sail students represent leadership, gameplay, shoutcasting, and community.

Representing the leadership aspect of the program is Entertainment Business Master’s student and scholarship recipient Nacip “Phoenix” Fayad. A graduate of both the Music Production and Recording Arts bachelor's programs, Nacip is a team-focused leader who acted as the Armada varsity Call of Duty team coach and looks forward to continuing to grow as a player on the team while completing his master’s. The dual-degree grad was awarded his scholarship during the recent Battle for the Boulevard in the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress.

Game Art bachelor’s student and the first-ever Armada Community Leader Christian “SonicBatz” Hale was awarded $15,000 in scholarship funds in recognition of his commitment to the Armada community. By hosting community games nights weekly on the Full Sail Armada Twitch, maintaining an active presence on the Armada Discord server, and bringing gamers together, Christian has been able to further enhance the connectivity and collaboration of the Armada community.

Representing the broadcasting and shoutcasting component of the Armada community is Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting student and current varsity Rocket League athlete Bryan “Bryonic” Flores. Volunteering as a caster for many Armada matches and events, Bryan was awarded $10,000 in scholarship funds for his contributions to the experience for fans, spectators, and the Full Sail Armada community-at-large.

Rounding out the list of recipients and representing the gameplay component is Game Design master’s student Nicholas “Shweeb” Levesque. A recent graduate of the Game Design bachelor of science at Full Sail, Nicholas received $10,000 in scholarship funds for his dedication to collegiate esports. Currently playing as a League of Legends varsity athlete, Nicholas recently finished second overall in the Red Bull Solo Q Orlando Qualifier which featured over 100 players.

“It has been an honor to identify these four outstanding individuals to be the recipients of the first-ever Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute Esports Scholarship. Each of these students continually go above and beyond to showcase their commitment to their educational pursuits as well as sharing their passion for esports” stated Sari Kitelyn, Director of Esports and Project Development at Full Sail University. “Many thanks to our partners at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute for working alongside us to bring these scholarships to life.”