NYC Teen Awarded Scholarship to GDC

Stuyvesant High School junior Sharon Lin was recently named a recipient of the Girls Make Games Game Developers Conference (GDC) Scholarship.

Lin is 17-years-old, and a NCWIT National Winner, Google Science Fair Regional Finalist, and past mentor for Learn IT, Girl and Django Girls. She has an immense passion for programming and development, and is currently leading the organizing team for StuyHacks and CodeDay NY.

According to Lin, “Attending this conference would be an incredible opportunity for me to meet other game makers, discover different niches of gaming, and in general develop my passion for game development. It will also be a huge step forward for me as a developer, and really help me gain connections and network with some of the top professionals in the world!”

Lin plans on live-blogging her experience at GDC this year to share with others who may be interested in attending in the future.

The scholarship comes with the full registration fee, but she is seeking assistance in financing travel and lodging for the duration of the conference. Her GoFundMe campaign is located at https://www.gofundme.com/89qwfc7g.

“I am so thankful for all of your support! Attending this conference would mean the world to me, and your help is truly appreciated!” Lin said.

Game Developers Conference takes place from March 14-19, in San Francisco, California. It is the world’s largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event.

According to the website:

“The GDC attracts over 26,000 attendees, and is the primary forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers and others involved in the development of interactive games gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry. The GDC is produced by the UBM Tech Game Network.

This market defining conference features over 400 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions on a comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts. In addition, the GDC expo showcases all of the most relevant game development tools, platforms and services helping to drive the industry forward. The conference also features the seventeenth annual Independent Games Festival, the longest-running and largest festival relating to independent games worldwide, where original games compete for the attention of the publishing community, and the fifteenth annual Game Developers Choice Awards, the premier accolades for peer-recognition in the digital games industry.”