���app

Sterling Foster dreams of making video games for a living.

“Video games have always been my passion for as long as I can remember,” the current ���app junior says.��

As an Emergent Digital Practices major and computer science minor at ���app, Foster is on his way to make that dream a reality.��

Sterling said this unique program — a mix of the study of art, design, media, culture and technology — has allowed him to further consider the value of games, beyond fun.

“I love the narrative of games and putting myself in the characters’ shoes. I believe games have the potential to teach and get players thinking about social issues,” he says.

In a first-year course on writing and video games, Foster put the idea of game-as-teacher into practice when he developed a board game that focused on the social aspects of minimum wage.

“Academically, ���app has given me the ability to do everything I wanted,” he says.

Outside of the classroom, Foster is active in several groups, including the , or “E-STEM,” program, a grant-funded initiative that creates pathways to academic success for students from historically underrepresented groups in science, math and engineering fields.

“I appreciate that ���app prioritizes diversity inside and outside of academics,” he says.

For the past three years, Foster has volunteered with ���app’s Black Male Initiative Summit, a program for 8th through 12th grade Black male students that promotes leadership, academic achievement with an emphasis on graduating from high school and attending a post-secondary institution, and community involvement while developing Black male identity.��

A third-generation ���app student — Foster’s grandmother and mother attended ���app — Foster says the endowed scholarships he has received played a big role in his decision and ability to attend ���app. ��

To past and present donors, Foster says, “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me and for other students who have been fortunate enough to attend ���app through scholarships.”

Foster says he’d love to see any deserving high school senior be able to attend ���app if they wish, regardless of finances.

“Donors make that possible for so many students,” he says.

As for his favorite video game? “If I had to pick, it would be ‘Batman Arkham City.’”

To learn about how your gift in support of scholarships can make a difference in the lives of students like Sterling, contact��ScholarshipGiving@���app.edu.