Awards Events Industry & Tech Students & Alumni
Students Explore Careers and Learn from the Pros at I/ITSEC 2025, the Largest MS&T Event in the World
December 5, 2025
The mission: Show students how their interactive tech skills honed at FIEA can make an impact far beyond gaming, into other industries like defense, healthcare, education and more.
FIEA GameLab instructor and MS&T veteran Erik Sand led a dynamic panel, Game Skills in Simulation, offering students a deep dive into simulation careers in government, sharing their expertise on the essential skills needed to succeed in these fields, and offering valuable advice to help them train for future careers.
The panel of four MS&T industry professionals included two FIEA alumni who were able to offer valuable advice to current students, having gone through the program themselves:
- FIEA Alum Brenda Raza ‘19MS (Cohort 15), 3D Lead Graphic Artist at Carley Corporation
- FIEA Alum Max Acree ‘08MS (Cohort 4), Business Development Director at Room 8 Group
- Jenn McNamara, Vice President, Serious Games and Strategic Products at BreakAway Games
- John Meyers, Executive Director for the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando
“Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. Ever… Advocate for yourself and make sure that people actually know what you’re doing.”
“Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. Ever.” McNamara advised students. “Advocate for yourself and make sure that people actually know what you’re doing.”
Raza emphasized the value of collaboration, and leveling up tech skills continuously, both of which help to foster a healthy environment where team members have each other’s back and can share ideas that can grow.
“Chase your passions. Don’t chase the promotions.” Meyers recommended to students, stating that seeking out meaningful challenges was often more fulfilling.
“Don’t be afraid to be right, but don’t be too proud to be wrong in conversations with people in the workplace,” Acree spoke on the value and traits of being a solid team member.
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FIEA Students Compete in Serious Games Contest and Earn Scholarships at I/ITSEC
FIEA Cohort 22 students Ziad El-Rady and Jane Apostol entered their educational game, R-ECOMECH, into the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge, a contest for games that solve real-world problems beyond entertainment. R-ECOMECH, a renewable energy game involving a mech to fight climate change made it to the final round of the contest and was featured on the expo floor.
“Game development has transferable skills, and I/ITSEC has great exposure to what’s beyond making games for entertainment,” Apostol said, who attended the conference last year as a student at the University of Florida. “It’s a great place for connecting with other engineers and developers in the modeling simulation and education industry.”
El-Rady and Apostol also earned $5,000 scholarships from the National Training & Simulation Association, which hosts I/ITSEC, and honored at among other scholarship recipients from around the country.
“I’m honored to have received a scholarship from I/ITSEC and of course grateful to the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge,” El-Rady said. “It’s great to have the support of FIEA, and I know I’m in the right place to keep learning about and making educational games!
