Alumni Spotlight - Luis Valdez

For Luis Valdez, collegiate esports started with a flyer at Marshalltown Community College (MCC). Now, after graduating from MCC, the NJCAAE alum is continuing his education and esports career at Buena Vista University.

Valdez, a Marshalltown, Iowa, native, is now in his third year of college while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public relations at Buena Vista, a four-year university in Storm Lake, Iowa. He hopes to become the first person in his family to earn a four-year degree and plans to give back to his community through his career.

The transition from MCC to Buena Vista has been easier than Valdez expected. Buena Vista’s esports program competes in titles including Call of Duty, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch and Super Smash Bros. Valdez’s move to Buena Vista also came with a familiar connection to his former school. Micah Garringer, an MCC alumnus who graduated in 2025, recently joined Buena Vista as assistant director of esports.

While Valdez has played video games throughout his life, he never expected to compete at the collegiate level. When he enrolled at MCC, a flyer for esports caught his attention. After meeting with Coach Nate “Rodeblock” Rodemeyer, Valdez signed up right away.

Rodeblock helped Valdez find his place in the program, whether competing in Madden, Mario Kart or Call of Duty. From there, Valdez became a consistent presence in NJCAAE competition, never missing a tournament during his time at MCC.

He recorded multiple top-four finishes and several runner-up placements, but his proudest accomplishment came from watching the teams he led at MCC, Call of Duty and Mario Kart Blue, grow both as players and as people.

“Nothing will ever top that,” Valdez said.

Valdez also embraced opportunities to give back through esports. While at MCC, he participated in charity tournaments including Extra Life and Race for the Kids, a local event benefiting Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Beyond competing, Valdez also spent time shoutcasting games and watching championship matches at MCC. His most memorable moment came when he reached his first NJCAAE National Championship game.

“It meant everything to see my team's hard work pay off,” Valdez said.

Valdez has continued to develop as a Call of Duty player since moving to Buena Vista. He has focused on 8s, scrimmages and amateur leagues while networking within the competitive community. He also watches professional players to identify areas for improvement and spends time practicing to sharpen his skills. The competitive journey has come with challenges, but Valdez said the relationships he built at MCC made the experience worthwhile.

“Marshalltown does not feel like just a team. It feels like a family. We travel together, host special events, and even have game nights to unwind. I could not ask for a better family.”

Valdez credits the NJCAAE with helping make his collegiate esports journey possible.

“The NJCAAE gave us a way to compete at a high level. Without it, there is a real chance I never would have played collegiate esports. I am forever blessed to have had this opportunity.”

Now, Valdez hopes to take his competitive career even further. He would like to compete in Call of Duty Challengers and see how far esports can take him. One of his biggest goals would be becoming the first professional esports player from Marshalltown.

For now, he is looking forward to his first seasons competing at the four-year level this fall and spring.

Valdez has also continued to give back to the next generation of esports players. This past spring, he coached his high school’s Mario Kart team, helping the team win the IAHSEA 3A Mario Kart 4v4 Championship. The victory marked the school’s first esports state championship.

As Valdez continues his education and competitive career at Buena Vista, he hopes other young gamers will take the same opportunity that first brought him into collegiate esports.

“Take the chance even if it seems hard or scary. The first step to finding success is believing in yourself.”