Hall of Fame 15: A Week in Review

Published Apr 07, 2025

Hall of Fame 15: A Week in Review

Full Sail’s 2025 Hall of Fame event featured industry panels, interactive student experiences, and six new Hall of Fame inductees.

The Hall of Fame 15 inductees raise their awards in the air on a stage decorated with foliage. Garry Jones kneels in front.

Full Sail University recently held its 15th annual Hall of Fame week. From March 9-13, Full Sail students, alumni, faculty, and past and present Hall of Fame inductees gathered on campus to celebrate the newest inductees as well as enjoy the week of festivities. These included more than 150 educational presentations and panels on industry topics, a live esports competition, a tech expo, a career fair, networking opportunities, fun student activities, food trucks, and more.

Hall of Game: Homecoming

Two hosts wearing headsets share commentary in the Fortress. A crowd of audience members is behind them.

Hosts of Hall of Game: Homecoming 2025 share live commentary during the thrilling esports competition.

The highly anticipated week started with Hall of Game: Homecoming 2025, where a team of alumni from Full Sail Armada teams battled against the current Armada varsity team in an exciting esports competition inside the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress. Competitors played Apex Legends, League of Legends, and Halo: Infinite. Viewers cheered as they watched the thrilling matches in person and over the Hall of Game: Homecoming livestream. Team Varsity ultimately walked away as the well-deserving champions. Attendees also enjoyed freeplay Super Smash Bros., arcade machine games, food trucks, and raffles, and three students were awarded $5,000 scholarships.

Tech Expo and Career Networking

Full Sail students and alumni gather at the Career Fair where various companies have set up booths and talk to attendees.

Students and alumni mill around the Career Fair and interact with potential employers.

Hall of Fame Week gave alumni and soon-to-be-grads ample opportunities to network, most prominently at the Career Fair held on Monday at the Full Sail Live venue. Attendees got the chance to interact with many potential employers including Walt Disney World and Apple, ask questions, and put their hats in the ring for several open positions. Additionally, students and graduates could attend various sessions throughout the day on subjects like growing your freelance business, advice for crafting a resume, and how to network if you hate networking.

Also held on Monday was the Tech Expo. The Fortress was filled with representatives from companies such as Sony, Canon, Apple, and others who were showing off the latest and greatest tech equipment for virtual reality, audio recording, filmmaking, and more.

Panels and Presentations

Katrina Mena Rick, Aaron B. Koontz, Alejandro García-Tuñón, Martina Bozic, Jason Citron, and Jonathan Mayer sit on a panel with a moderator in front of an audience.

All six Hall of Fame 15 inductees sit on a panel presentation for students and graduates.

Throughout the week, more than 150 educational panels, presentations, and workshops were offered to Hall of Fame attendees. The variety of session topics included what’s happening in the game industry, crisis management in media, a fireside chat with Hall of Fame 15 inductee and Discord CEO Jason Citron, and the future of smart cities. Presenters included past and present Hall of Fame inductees, Full Sail faculty and staff, and various industry experts — giving audiences a plethora of perspectives and professional experiences to learn from.

Alumni enjoyed presentations and panel-led sessions specifically catered toward graduates of Full Sail, including topics such as how to pivot mid-career. Many of the sessions and festivities were livestreamed on Full Sail’s Hall of Fame Live YouTube broadcast, which also featured fun activities with grads and guests, and coverage of the entire week’s slate of events.

Student Activities and Events

Another fun aspect of Hall of Fame 15 was the Creative Experience area held in the Backlot on campus. Various booths offered activities where students could get airbrush tattoos, sit for a caricature, perform karaoke, create bookmarks and friendship bracelets, color, and contribute to a giant Hall of Fame-themed paint-by-numbers mural over the course of the week. The Dear Future Me tent allowed students to write letters to their future selves that staff would mail to them in a year. An array of food trucks kept attendees well-fed, hydrated, and caffeinated throughout the week of activity.

If students found themselves overstimulated during the week, they could decompress and recharge in the Calm Zone. The tech-free Calm Zone offered meditative white noise, fidget toys, puzzles, coloring pages, weighted blankets, and more to allow those overwhelmed by all the bustle to take a break.

A crowd of students cheer as the D20 Deathmatch takes place on a stage. The host wears a costume and carries a sword.

Students cheer for the Dungeons and Dragons: D20 Deathmatch at the outdoor stage.

On Tuesday night, a Dungeons and Dragons: D20 Deathmatch was held at the outdoor stage. Students enjoyed the immersive TTRPG experience, complete with costumes and giant foam dice that players would roll out into the audience.

A group of students in cosplay pose on a stage, featuring an array of characters such as Bill Cipher, Boba Fett, and Loki.

Students compete in a cosplay contest featuring an array of characters from video games, TV, and film.

Students also had the chance to compete in a cosplay contest on Thursday, with winning categories like Best in Show, Anime, and Television and Film.

Induction Ceremony

Full Sail President Garry Jones speaks to an audience. Plants, drapes, and lights decorate the stage and ceiling.

The Full Sail community gathers to celebrate the newest Hall of Fame inductees at the ceremony.

The climax of Hall of Fame week was the induction ceremony on Thursday where the six newest inductees — Aaron B. Koontz, Alejandro García-Tuñón, Jason Citron, Jonathan Mayer, Katrina Mena Rick, and Martina Bozic — accepted their awards.

“What a great heart-rush it is to be in this room together to celebrate six new inductees tonight,” said Garry Jones, President of Full Sail University, as he gave the introduction to the ceremony. “It’s just a joy to be around the energy and the dreams and the hearts that make this place all that it is.”

Each inductee gave heartfelt speeches of pride at their accomplishments and gratitude for the family and friends who supported them along the way. “I am incredibly honored to stand here as a Full Sail Hall of Fame inductee,” said Martina Bozic. “This moment is an absolute dream come true. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that everything starts with a dream.”

A crowd of students gathers around a stage with live music and lights. Inflatable beach balls are being passed among the crowd.

Hall of Fame 15 comes to a colorful close with the student block party.

The week concluded with a student block party at the outdoor stage, where students enjoyed free pizza and drinks, cheered on competitors in a hula hoop contest, celebrated those awarded scholarships by Orlando Health and EA Sports, and enjoyed the good vibes on campus after another successful Hall of Fame Week.