Full Sail University’s Game Business & Esports program saw its first graduating class this March, with grads equipped to start careers in fields including operations, event management, publishing, sales, and community relations.

“I think we did a great job of giving the students a diverse curriculum that covers so many job opportunities and the knowledge to understand how the industry works together. So if they never go into community management, they still understand how that works with the marketing and the branding teams, the operations team, or wherever they go,” says Program Director RaeLynn McAfee.

Throughout their studies, the first round of game business students enjoyed unique learning experiences and opportunities to gain real-world experience including a special visit to EA Tiburon’s Orlando studio, campus guest lectures, and volunteer opportunities during live esports events hosted at Full Sail.

Graduates celebrated with faculty, staff, family, and friends during a post-graduation reception held on the Full Sail campus. “Every course director is deeply passionate about the subject they teach and that breeds an environment where no matter what you’re learning about, it's someone's passion, and it's hard not to feed off of that energy,” shared new grad Jaina Fawn Vereecke.

“I was fortunate enough to see them twice throughout their path,” shares Course Director Ren Vickers. “Seeing the transition from having the first interaction with them and seeing them later in the degree program, and seeing how much they grew and how much more confident they were and their professionalism in the second class versus the earlier class was really wonderful to see.”

The grads – who RaeLynn calls, “trailblazers” – are moving on to internships and roles at organizations including X Element, SponsorUnited, and XP League.

“It was really exciting and challenging to have this first class. I called them our trailblazers because they were truly helping us, all of our new faculty, form the best pathway for this degree. They gave amazing feedback to our faculty both on the curriculum and teaching, and what more they wanted to see, areas they wanted to learn more.

“I look forward to seeing them be the trailblazers into the industry for our degree and I’m excited to see them excel outside the classroom as they continue on their career journey,” adds Raelynn.