Conestoga’s Chris Lamarucciola has been nominated for an esports Educator of the Year award through Scholastic Esports Awards. He is the only nominee in the category representing a Canadian institution.
Conestoga’s Chris Lamarucciola has been nominated for an esports Educator of the Year award.
The Scholastic Esports Awards are in their inaugural year and strive to highlight the positive impact of esports in education and personal development throughout Canada and the United States. The Educator of the Year award honours an educator who made significant contributions to integrating esports in academia through teaching, mentorship and curriculum development.
Lamarucciola is nominated for his work in the college’s School of Business, where he developed and taught an Audience Development and Analytics course that’s now part of the Esports Marketing and Event Management program.
“Chris is a dedicated educator who has provided our students in the Esports Marketing and Event Management graduate certificate with unique opportunities to apply their learning in a manner that prepares them for a career in this rapidly growing field,” said Nicole Tate-Hill, chair, School of Business.
“The extra attention he pays to students, finding the time for personalized mentorship and guidance, and drawing upon his vast experience to connect students with industry professionals and emphasize practical learning makes him a great educator who is truly deserving of this nomination. We’re thrilled at this opportunity for Chris, and we’d love to see him receive this honour.”
Lamarucciola launched his own esports company in 2016 and drew on his industry experience to consult on post-secondary esports programs.
“There aren’t a lot of textbooks in esports, so it was a lot of experience-based learning and developing different pieces for colleges that were entering esports through their schools of business, marketing or other schools,” Lamarucciola said.
Lamarucciola began teaching in Conestoga’s School of Business in January 2024 and is also the manager of esports at the college, a role where he bolsters and supports the college’s growing esports infrastructure that includes competitive Condors esports programs.
Its nationally ranked teams compete in a variety of third-party collegiate leagues, highly competitive developer leagues sanctioned by game publishers, and numerous tournaments.
Lamarucciola is also focused on preparing for the college’s 10,000 square-foot esports arena that’s set to open in spring 2025. The state-of-the-art space will allow for high-performance play, high-quality streaming and production, and innovation in gaming and simulation.
“I’m working with our different stakeholders to prepare the different equipment that we need, ensure that everything's running smoothly and that the build-out is happening in a timely manner along with the contractors and our project managers,” added Lamarucciola.
Conestoga also boasts an innovative esports hub that hosts weekly programming and events, and provides hands-on learning to students in the Esports and Events Media Production program in which Lamarucciola will teach an Event Planning course this winter term in addition to his current duties.
“Shocked and honoured would be the two words that I would use. I'm grateful to be even put on the list along with the other nominees on that list that I know very well,” added Lamarucciola, who also reflected on those who have helped his journey.
“I would definitely say thank you to Nicole Tate-Hill for the opportunity to teach in the program. And also Scott Keller from the School of Creative Industries for allowing me to continue to teach in the next program.”
Winners of the Scholastic Esports awards will be announced at an event in Columbus, Ohio on January 11 and 12.
Conestoga’s Esports Marketing and Event Management program covers a variety of topics in the esports industry and teaches theoretical and applied skills that will prepare students to be a marketing leader in one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. Students learn all aspects of planning and launching esports events, including sponsorship, promotion, sales and marketing.
The program is delivered through the college’s School of Business.