Zynga.org Brings Game Design Academy Career Day to San Francisco Students
March 22 2016 - 9:00AM
Zynga.org, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the
idea that social games are a platform for social good, will host
100 students from local high schools at Zynga’s San Francisco
headquarters for the 3rd annual Game Design Academy Career Day. The
immersive day of game industry exposure and exploration is part of
San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and Zynga.org’s Game
Design Academy program, which leverages students’ interest and
excitement around games to teach the fundamentals of technology
education and computer science and to prepare the next generation
of tech industry professionals to fill the jobs of tomorrow.
“We are excited to celebrate our third year of partnership with
San Francisco Unified School District in bringing the Game Design
Academy to priority schools in San Francisco,” said Erin Baudo
Felter, Executive Director of Zynga.org. “We have seen that games
can be a spark for students, engaging them not just in computer
science and STEM learning, but also in exploring potential career
paths in tech. Career Day allows us to bring students out of the
classroom and connect them with Zynga’s talented and passionate
game makers to bring those future career opportunities to
life.”
Now in its third year, the Game Design Academy is a
collaboration between SFUSD and Zynga.org, providing enhanced games
and computer science curriculum, exposure to tech careers and
hands-on work with game industry professionals to 11th and 12th
grade students at San Francisco’s Thurgood Marshall and Balboa high
schools. Beginning with 36 students in 2013, the program now serves
more than 220 students during the 2015-2016 school year. More than
100 Zynga employees have invested nearly 800 hours supporting
students through annual events like Game Jam and Career Day.
Throughout the school year, Zynga employees work with students on
aspects of game development including design, prototyping and
pitching.
“With Zynga's help, we are at the forefront of developing a
pipeline of local diverse talent who will graduate more prepared
than ever to thrive in careers across San Francisco’s tech industry
landscape,” said San Francisco Schools Superintendent Richard
Carranza. “Game Design Academy is living proof that tech companies,
working in partnership with educators, can play a vital role in
shaping curriculum and instruction that truly prepares students for
future career possibilities.”
During Game Design Academy Career Day, students will learn
firsthand from Zynga game makers about the varied career
opportunities available in gaming and tech – from engineering to
art and product management to marketing. Zynga employees will lead
students through a diverse set of workshops, including women in
game making, the power of data and analytics to understand player
preferences and engineering process and prototyping. Students will
also meet with Zynga’s Human Resources team to develop their own
professional resume and learn job interview skills.
About Zynga.orgZynga.org’s mission is to help
make the world a better place through games. Zynga.org has inspired
more than 10 million players to contribute nearly $25 million
through 200 in-game campaigns benefiting 50 nonprofit partners.
These funds have supported the work of results-driven nonprofits
worldwide, including partners like Direct Relief International,
Save the Children, Habitat for Humanity, KaBOOM!, St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital, Water.org, Wildlife Conservation
Society, and World Food Programme.
About Zynga Inc. Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq:ZNGA) is a
leading developer of the world's most popular social games that are
played by millions of monthly consumers. The company has created
evergreen franchises such as FarmVille, Zynga Casino and Words With
Friends. Zynga's NaturalMotion, an Oxford-based mobile game and
technology developer, is the creator of hit mobile games in popular
entertainment categories, including CSR Racing, CSR Classics and
Clumsy Ninja. Zynga games have been played by more than 1 billion
people around the world and are available on a number of global
platforms including Apple iOS, Google Android, Facebook and
Zynga.com. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif.
Learn more about Zynga at http://blog.zynga.com or follow us
on Twitter and Facebook.
The Zynga Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11743
Contact Erin Smith-Cheng
ESmithCheng@zynga.com (650) 224 2462
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