Learn about Opportunities in Collegiate Esports from Coaches and Directors
Stay Plugged IN is hosting the Peach Belt Conference Showcase from October 29th through the 30th. This event is a high school esports showcase designed to put students in front of eager college coaches. Alongside this showcase, the Peach Belt will be hosting their own collegiate esports tournament in Overwatch that high school students and parents can spectate. To top off the event, Stay Plugged IN and the Peach Belt Conference will be hosting an educational panel addressing “Opportunities in Collegiate Esports” and will feature Stay Plugged IN presence as well as several coaches and directors from within the Peach Belt.
Opportunities in Collegiate Esports Panel
The esports scene has been growing at an exponential rate in recent years, especially at the collegiate level. The collegiate esports scene started booming in the 2017 – 2018 academic year, and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. With over 400 colleges in the Stay Plugged In network, and over 250 of these programs offering esports scholarships, the opportunities in esports are endless.
Esports goes beyond gaming itself, and branches into parallel industries such as video editing, graphic design, casting, production and more. At the Peach Belt Conference, students and parents have the opportunity to learn more about the collegiate esports scene from panelists with first hand experience. Learn more about the panelists below:
John Price
John Price is the Esports Director at Henderson State University. He is the founder of the first institution-supported collegiate esports program in Arkansas. This program was founded in 2018 and has grown within the university and offers scholarship opportunities to the players. John Price has been within the esports ecosystem for almost 8 years, starting his journey with the professional esports organization, Tempo Storm, in a marketing role.
Sharon Renner
Dr. Sharon Renner is an Assistant Professor of Health Science at Columbus State University. Her background is heavily focused on injury prevention. She is also the faculty advisor and coach for the university’s esports teams. CSU currently offers League of Legends and Overwatch with plans to expand into other popular titles in the near future. Dr. Sharon Renner also assists in the development of students through the Center for Experiential Learning and Career Design.
Ruben Sousa
Ruben is a dedicated advocate for esports. With an extremely long resume of competing, coaching, and managing professional esports teams in Europe for the past seven years, Ruben is currently the Graduate Assistant for Converse University. Currently working towards a Masters in Teaching, Ruben is assisting with esports operations at Converse and is also currently a chemistry teacher in K-12.
Peach Belt Conference Showcase
The Peach Belt Conference Showcase and Opportunities in Collegiate Esports panels will be held on October 29th and 30th at the Florence Center in Florence, SC. Learn more about the event and register now to compete by clicking here.