Teen's 'Road to Greatness' Brings Exclusive Gaming Event to Northport

A Northport teen’s artistic talents caught the eye of PlayStation after she was one of four winners of the nationwide “My Road to Greatness” contest.

Noelle Stegner, 14, was among 500 people across the country who created a video for the contest.

Not only was Noelle the only teenager to be named a contest winner, but she was the only female.

Most people who submitted videos simply explained why they were into video games, but Noelle took the creative route.

She and her friends acted out the different themes from the latest video games. She put together the entire video in 24 hours. (Scroll down to watch Noelle’s video).

Not only does Noelle benefit from this contest, but the entire Northport community can be rewarded as well.

PlayStation is coming to Northport High School with a semi-truck that will convert into a gaming center on Saturday.

The event, put together at the last minute, will allow participants to play games that are unreleased to the public. Local vendors will supply food and event goers can catch performances by Noelle’s band “Tomorrow’s Apologies” and local group “X-Session.”

The event, held in the Northport High School parking lot from noon to 6 p.m., is expected to attract about 600 people from across the area, many of whom are serious gamers who are excited to play the unreleased games.

Sony will be in Northport this week to film a piece on Noelle that will be on their website for a year. Film crews will make a pit stop to film at her house on Friday and will make an appearance at Saturday’s event.

Noelle has always been artistic and unique, her mother Joann Stegner told Patch. She sings in the band “Tomorrow’s Apologies”, acts with community theater, plays guitar and is currently enrolled in a filmmaking camp at New York University.

Before she received the news that she was a “My Road to Greatness” winner, Noelle was going through a rough period with someone who was bullying her in school. Sometimes being different can cause problems, especially in high school, where it’s safer for teens to blend in rather than to stand out.

Now, however, Noelle’s creativity is directly benefiting the local gamers and the entire Northport community.

Watch her ”road to greatness” here:

Image via Joann Stegner