Brightspeed has come to the aid of students in North Carolina with an investment of about $580,000 in eSports and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs.
“This scholarship will help ease the financial burden my parents carry in supporting my academic journey,” Shafiq Nuijts, Wesleyan University student and recipient of a Brightspeed-funded scholarship, said in the press release about the eSports and STEM funding.
“It will also allow me to focus more deeply on my education and my internship this upcoming summer. As an international student, my experience has always involved balancing the challenges of maintaining my F-1 status, keeping a high GPA and reassuring my parents that their investment in me is being put to meaningful use. This scholarship affirms that commitment and motivates me to continue striving for excellence.”
The Brightspeed eSports and STEM funding includes:
- A $350,000 sponsorship of the Coca-Cola All Stars Golden Ticket contest, Formula STEM Esports Cup and the Players League Madden NFL tournament hosted in Charlotte.
- More than $200,000 as the primary sponsor of two Bright Future Tech Lab contests awarded to build out labs at Triton High School in Erwin and, most recently, at Orange High School in Hillsborough.
- $15,000 in support of Wesleyan University to fund scholarships, equipment and esports program travel.
- A $10,000 grant to support the Rocky Mount High School Gryphon Elite eSports team.
- Sponsorship of the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department’s Battle in the Forest, a four-part eSports tournament.
Another broadband provider getting involved in eSports, like Brightspeed, is Twin Valley, which serves communities in Kansas. In late October, the company announced that it was partnering with Junction City to create a venue, named The Twin Valley Esports Arena: Home of the Twisters. The facility features dual 8 Gbps fiber connections and network equipment provided by Twin Valley.
