
Mason
Game
and
Technology
Academy
(MGTA)
awarded
seven
students
from
Unity
Braxton
Middle
School
with
scholarships.
MGTA
is
a
community
youth
outreach
program
of
George
Mason
University's
Virginia
Serious
Game
Institute
(VSGI)
and
the
Mason
Computer
Game
Design
Program.
The
scholarships
were
funded
by
Micron
Technologies,
which
is
a
long-time
school
business
partner
of
Unity
Braxton
Middle
through
SPARK,
the
education
foundation
for
Prince
William
County
Public
Schools.
MGTA
courses
are
developed
and
taught
by
Mason
faculty
and
by
students
of
its
advanced
game
design
and
computer
science
program,
who
also
serve
as
mentors.
MGTA
provides
age-appropriate
courses
for
students
age
9-18
years
old
that
are
modeled
after
university-level
curriculum.
The
program
incorporates
entrepreneurship,
team
dynamics,
and
project-based
learning
into
every
class.
"Students
in
MGTA
programs
encounter
not
only
technology
but
also
a
university
experience,
as
courses
occur
on
campus
and
are
taught
by
university
faculty-providing
important
exposure
to
college
life."
said
Eric
Simenauer,
school
counselor
and
business
partnership
coordinator
at
Unity
Braxton.
"Guardians
and
parents
of
underprivileged
children
who
have
been
part
of
MGTA
share
that
the
experience
has
transformed
their
children's
life
goals,
providing
the
inspiration
they
needed
to
focus
on
a
pathway
to
higher
education
and
even
advanced
study
in
the
STEM
fields
of
the
future."