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In October of 2020 two important things happened within 10 days of each other: I lost my job and my relationship of two years. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I was already unhappy with my living situation and my work life. For the rest of October, I took time to myself to reflect on what I enjoyed the most in my life: videogames and esports.

After scouring LinkedIn for jobs, I came across Prof. Jason Chung’s profile, and I found an article he posted about esports. I spent hours on Google looking at various degrees (master’s and bachelor’s) pertaining to esports. My search brought me back to Jason’s one-of-a-kind from the University of New Haven.

Prof. Chung and I set up a time to speak, and I told him more about myself and what I was looking to achieve: a job in the world of esports. He introduced me to another individual by the name of Corey Parks, a professional gamer who is head coach and director of the .

Coach Parks and I share the same drive and passion for competition and esports, and we both come from similar backgrounds that involve the game of Counter-Strike. It was only natural that our conversation led me to making the appropriate moves towards my next journey: pursuing esports full time. He offered me an assistant coaching position for the varsity Valorant team if I was willing to commit to helping the team in person.

‘Everything has been genuine and remarkable’

My ultimate decision to move to Connecticut came with great deliberation. I spent a week speaking with close friends and family about a possible move. I told them about the master’s program and coaching opportunity and there was unanimous support from them for me to pursue it. I pulled the trigger.

Presently, almost three months into the program and my coaching experience, I am thrilled with everything about the University and the choices I have made thus far. From the staff to the campus to the people I have met, everything has been genuine and remarkable.

I took a leap of faith in coming to Connecticut. This move helped me grow in more ways than one and has truly matured me as a person. Every day I wake up looking forward to what Professor Chung will be teaching us or how I can help my students develop into better players in Valorant under the guidance of Coach Parks.

David Pendleton ’22 M.S. is one of the first candidates in the University’s new graduate program in Esports Business. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from .