Sony Awards $10,000 Scholarship to Indiana Game Design Student

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Game Art and Design student Rebecca Gleason has won its 2009 Gamers in Real Life (G.I.R.L.) Scholarship. The G.I.R.L. scholarship program, now in its second year, encourages female students to follow career paths in the creative and applied arts, with an eye toward entering the video games industry. G.I.R.L. finalists were challenged to create original concept art for new characters and environments for Sony's browser-based online role-playing game Free Realms. Sony picked Gleason's entry from a pool of more than 160 applicants. Gleason was awarded a $10,000 scholarship, along with an optional paid 10-week internship at Sony Online Entertainment's office in San Diego. "I feel so honored to be given this opportunity," said Gleason. "I can't wait to make the most of it by really diving in, absorbing what I learn and working to promote the mission of the G.I.R.L. program." Last year's G.I.R.L. scholarship winner Julia Brasil recently began another internship at Sony Online Entertainment's Seattle studio. She will graduate from The Art Institute-San Francisco in 2010.