Luke Sherman (he/him), 20, recently graduated from Heartland Community College (HCC) and is now pursuing his dreams as an esports coach while studying Organizational and Leadership Communication at Illinois State University.

At HCC, Sherman played for the esports team and was a member of the NJCAAE for two years. He competed in Super Smash Bros Ultimate and won both the NJCAAE Crew and Single battles, which he called the highlight of his time at HCC. He continues to play SSBU at Illinois State and now coaches high school esports teams in Unit 5 and at his local YMCA. 

“Playing esports at HCC really helped me make a lot of friends when I started college, and it made me feel strongly connected to my school and proud to represent them,” said Sherman.

Sherman encourages young gamers to find ways to play esports with their friends. He suggests asking a favorite teacher to help start a club or arranging times to have friends over to learn a game together. Sherman fondly remembers hosting small SSBU tournaments with his friends in middle school, which ignited his passion for playing, learning, and improving, ultimately inspiring him to continue in high school and college.