This past spring, Dr. Levi Harrison, an orthopedic surgeon known as “the esports doctor,” announced that he would award a one-thousand-dollar scholarship to one NIU student for the 2022-23 school year. However, the best-laid plans can go awry, and after the scholarship committee had narrowed down the field, Dr. Harrison found himself faced with two applications so exceptional that he couldn’t choose between them. His solution? Award two scholarships: to NIU students Angelica Navarrete and James Westlund.
Navarrete and Westlund are both exceptional students and gamers with very different backgrounds, academic pursuits and approaches to video gaming. Together, they represent one of the ideals that motivated Dr. Harrison to create the scholarship: an inclusive gaming community that embraces and supports people of all backgrounds. In their own way, each also demonstrates Dr. Harrison’s other motivating ideal: support for healthy gaming practices.
“This scholarship is about raising awareness of the power of the esports community,” says Dr. Harrison. “The application was open to any NIU student because I want to spread the word about the positive aspects of healthy video gaming. It can minimize your stress. I also believe it can maximize your academic achievement. It can also help you to build community wherever you are, so that you know you’re not alone.”
Meet the Scholarship Winners
James Westlund
James Westlund has been playing video games as long as he can remember – at least since the age of four. A senior majoring in management, Westlund plays Overwatch on the NIU varsity esports team, as well as many other games, including his favorite, Gears of War. Westlund is pursuing his professional sales certificate in the NIU College of Business and completed a marketing internship at a digital medical company this past summer. After graduating in May 2023, Westland hopes to begin a job in sales or marketing.
For Westlund, who lives in DeKalb and spends nearly every day on campus, the NIU Esports Arena has become a home-away-from-home, and the fellow gamers he’s met on campus have become his closest friends, study partners and support network.
“I came here as a transfer student and I went to all the events that Esports held,” Westlund says. “I met so many people like me who have been playing games since they were young, and there were amazing connections and support. Having the community be physical instead of just online is a big change. Before, when I gamed, I never met anybody in person – it was always virtual – so getting to sit here next to somebody, playing a game with them, is a completely different experience.”
Navarrete approached video gaming when she was a bit older, as a way of connecting with her brother, who is four and a half years younger.
Angelica Navarrete
“I wanted to bond with my brother more, so I told him, we’ll play whatever you want – just help me along!” Navarrete says. “We started out playing simple games like Wii Sports and Nintendo Switch Sports, and then we progressed into more competitive esports. We love to play Super Smash Bros. against one another, and we have very strong opinions on who’s the best character. (It’s Kirby, by the way.)”
Navarrete, a senior majoring in psychology, soon grew to enjoy video gaming in her own right, and she’s been playing ever since. After completing her degree in May 2023, Navarrete hopes to pursue a career as a college academic advisor.
“Like most psychology majors, I want to help people!” Navarrete says. “I was a tutor and student intern in high school, and that made me realize that I love working with students in an academic setting. I want to use what I’ve learned here at NIU to get a job as an academic advisor and help college students map out their academic paths to success. I’ve been lucky to have amazing advisors, both at my community college and here at NIU, and I want to be that for somebody else – because college isn’t easy to navigate on your own.”
As an off-campus student earning her NIU degree through the University Center at Harper College, Navarrete rarely comes to DeKalb. For her, video games have become an escape after a long day of schoolwork, and a way to build community with her brother and friends.
The Importance of Healthy Gaming
Both Navarrete and Westlund were excited to apply for the Fierce Gamer Scholarship because it combines academics and video gaming, showing that the two can go hand in hand and be part of a healthy, balanced approach to college life.
“When I was growing up, there was this message that you shouldn’t play video games because it would harm your academics, but for a lot of people it’s actually helpful for academics and social life,” Westlund says. “Through playing esports here at NIU, I’ve met people who’ve helped me study and who have become my support network. And the financial assistance helps to cover expenses such as food so I can spend more time on schoolwork and doing things I love, such as gaming.”
As part of the scholarship application process, Navarrete and Westlund weighed in on the importance of healthy gaming – something they know about from personal experience.
“I grew to love the esports community, but I noticed that when my brother was fully in ‘game mode,’ he would slack on homework, and begin eating unhealthily,” Navarrete says. “This concerned me, especially as a psychology major. I sat my brother down and explained that, as much as he loves esports, it is important to eat right and get homework done before we shift into ‘game mode.’”
For Westlund, the question of healthy gaming hit even closer to home.
“Unhealthy gaming: I’ve lived it,” Westlund says. “At one point in my life, I had a summer where all I did was play video games. My friends would stop by and ask what I was doing, check to see if I was OK because I was completely focused on the game. I got really unhealthy. I gained weight, I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t sleeping. I would drink energy drinks to stay awake to keep playing because I wanted to be competitive. And that actually made me fail. I started to hate the game, I wasn’t having fun anymore, and I was getting angry and bitter.”
That experience led Westlund to reshape his life, getting more exercise, enough sleep and healthy, regular meals.
“I noticed that when I did positive things, such as go outside and play basketball, then when I came back to gaming I actually played better,” Westlund says. “No athlete in any sport can continue nonstop without taking a break. You’ve got to take a break, give yourself that recovery when you need it – and that’s a way of appreciating yourself as a competitor.”
Learn more about NIU Esports at the NIU Esports website. Learn more about Dr. Levi Harrison at drleviharrison.com.
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Congratulations to NIU Fierce Gamer Scholarship winners - NIU Today
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