On February 14th and 15th, 2025, educators from around the state gathered at Full Sail University for the Florida Esports Summit. The Florida Esports Summit was organized by the Sunshine State Esports League, a NASEF affiliate, and powered by Full Sail University. It was the first ever scholastic esports summit held in Florida. Danielle Sirekis, Director of Esports at Florida Tech, graciously served as emcee.

Nearly one hundred people attended the event which kicked off on Valentine’s Day with a rousing keynote from Steve Isaacs. Mr. Isaacs is the Senior Manager of Programs and Partnerships for Epic Games. His keynote address spoke about how Epic Games is changing the educational landscape by supporting game design and development through its many free resources. 

Friday continued with several panel discussions. Administrators shared about their role in the background providing support to build programs. Active school coaches talked about how they organize their clubs and which games they play. Several collegiate advisors/coaches shared how they recruit players and what they look for when they talk to players. The day ended with a networking time that allowed participants to learn from others in their same grade levels. 

Saturday morning began with an amazing keynote speaker. Danielle Johnson, Executive Director of the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation and President of the Interstate Scholastic Esports Alliance spoke to the value esports has brought not only to the students of Texas but to the value of bringing state leagues together to make all scholastic esports programs stronger. 

The first session on Saturday discussed the whole player. Panelists included not only K12 educators, but also collegiate and research specialists. Conversation included how these areas were combating the toxicity that continues to be a part of the esports reputation. Next up was the Collegiate Industry Panel. This group of amazing ambassadors discussed how esports provides opportunities in a wide variety of areas beyond the typical player or game designer. This conversation helped many in the room see the vastness that esports can become. Saturday concluded with a Gameroom to Classroom conversation about making that connection between the home player and the team player. 

Overall, the first ever Florida Esports Summit was a huge success. Sunshine State Esports League thanks Full Sail for their support in making this event possible. SSEL has already started the conversation about next year! 

Contributed by Tammy Neil, President, Sunshine State Esports League