Featured Speakers
PLAY HARD
"Let’s Level Up! Where Video Games Meet STEM"
Ola Gardner, Georgia State University
10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
Ready to unlock a few of the secrets behind your favorite video games? We will use motion capture technology to reveal how gaming is actually a gateway to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Watch game movements come alive on screen to create real-time animations, and discover how every jump, run and victory dance is powered by STEM principles. If you have ever wondered how your gaming skills could lead to future careers in technology, game design and beyond, join me and let’s have some fun!
BIO
Olaiya "Ola" Gardner leads game design education at Georgia State University's Creative Media Industries Institute. As a passionate champion of student success, this veteran educator brings nearly two decades of transformative experience to the classroom. With a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Media from the University of Georgia, her leadership roles have included System Chair and Program Chair of Media positions at institutions across Atlanta, Houston, and Virginia Beach, where she managed and developed programs in Audio Production, Digital Film and Video Production, Game Art and Design, Media Arts and Animation, and Photography.
As a bridge builder, Ola has created opportunities for her students through industry partnerships. Her connections have led to internship sand collaborations with NASA and FMC in Houston and Storj, and in Atlanta with Hi-Rez Studios, Areu Bros. Studios, Elvin Ross Studios, and Charles West Studios. Her ability to speak the language of multiple industries has helped create opportunities for her students' careers. She is proud of the paths her students have taken to be a part of companies such as Epic Games, Sony, Naughty Dog, and Blizzard in all areas of game design and visual effects. As of January 2025, Ola became one of three Authorized Instructor Partners in the State of Georgia for Epic Games, the visionary force behind Unreal Engine and the global phenomenon Fortnite.
DREAM BIG
"Only the Brave Fail: My Journey from Zero to Creating a Hologram Company"
Alex Ard-Kelly, HoloTABLE
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Dreaming is easy, and acting on it can be hard. If you chase your dreams enough, you are going to reach a point or event where you feel like you failed. In this talk, Alex will use his real-life stories, dreams, successes and failures to explain the difference between someone who failed after they tried and someone who failed because they didn't try. Alex succeeded and failed his way into college at 16, then Georgia Tech, and then his hologram company. He couldn't have succeeded without opening himself up to failure, and then failing, and then living with that failure, and the holograms he made.
BIO
Alex Ard-Kelly (BSME ’22) is an inventor that has worked in manufacturing, aerospace, and, perhaps most notably, hologram displays. He became fascinated with holograms in 2017 when he transferred to the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He built HoloTABLE L.L.C. to share his love of holograms with the world. HoloTABLE builds hologram displays that help organizations throw unforgettable events and have a memorable recruitment campaign at college and career fairs. When he isn’t running sales, making holograms, writing patents, or preparing for events, he is often chasing his goals in his personal life. He’s run a political campaign for his teacher friend, put on 30 lbs to win an arm-wrestling contest (which he won), hunted down a General Motors EV1 in the wild, and made a mod to make one of his favorite video games more accessible for his friends. His proudest work outside of work is being Representative Payee of an unhoused gentleman, and helping that man get back on his feet.
RISE UP
"Maroon Tiger Gaming | Making a Way Out of 'No Way:' Building an Esports Legacy in Uncharted Territories"
Kaleb Howard and Ezra Jenkins, Maroon Tiger Gaming
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
Kaleb and Ezra pioneered an esports legacy in places where gaming has yet to take root. Their journey is a testament to resilience, innovation, and rising up. Together they will explore how they navigated challenges, built a thriving esports ecosystem, and created opportunities where none previously existed. Join us to learn how they made a way out of “no way,” inspiring the next generation of gamers.
Kaleb Howard is a senior business management major at Morehouse College and the Co-President of Maroon Tiger Gaming.
Ezra Jenkins is a Junior Business Marketing major at Morehouse College and the Co-president of Maroon Tiger Gaming.
We created Maroon Tiger Gaming to serve as a medium for the underserved population of gamers in our community. Since everyone plays games, it only made sense for us to create an outlet that could provide our community with equitable opportunities.
Learn more about Maroon Tiger Gaming
