Joshua Zamora (he/him), 21, is a third-year student at the College of DuPage (COD). Zamora began at COD as a computer engineering major in 2020, but once Covid-19 struck, he quickly switched to studying computer science. He plans to have his Associate’s Degree in Science, emphasizing software development, by the end of the Fall 2023 semester. Once that is complete, he will move on to Lewis University to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

Zamora is also a member of the COD esports team, with his main game being Valorant. 

“In the spring semester of 2023, I took on the role of the in-game leader. Since we are in the off-season and many students come and go, the roles will most likely be reevaluated and reassigned. I have always had a passion to compete in esports since I was a little kid playing Call of Duty and Halo,” said Zamora, “A couple of students reached out to me in early December of 2022 informing me that they will be starting an esports club and I didn’t hesitate to get involved. Since then, the esports club grew exponentially, and I ended up being on the varsity team for Valorant. I started playing Valorant when it was released in 2020 and have been playing ever since. Improving in a game like Valorant is very similar to improving in a physical sport like basketball. You must put the time in and consciously think about every decision you make in-game. I personally think being good at this game is 90% mental and 10% skill. It’s very easy to get upset or angry while playing, but if you can prevent that from happening and keep a positive mindset, you can get anywhere.”

How has it been being a part of the COD esports team?

“Being part of the College of DuPage Valorant team has been a wonderful experience. I have met great people whom I can now call my friends. I have gained new experience in being a leader and improved my problem-solving skills. Overall, I feel so lucky to be part of this community and am grateful for everyone closely involved in expanding the esports scene here at COD. There are a lot of students behind the scenes working hard and putting in a lot of time to ensure the success of esports at COD,” said Zamora. 

Zamora’s gamertag is ‘Zosh’. He picked this name because he typically goes by ‘Josh’ in his day-to-day life, but switched out the letter J for a Z, representing the first initial of his last name. 

“I love playing video games and I’m proud to be on a competitive collegiate team. Playing in the NJCAAE league has been amazing. It is set up similarly to traditional sports leagues and I really enjoy that. Everyone that I have interacted with within the NJCAAE league has been great,” said Zamora, “To all young gamers and young people in general, try your best to live for yourself. Everyone around you, whether it’s your parents or friends, will tell you what the best path is for your future; but only you have control of your destiny. You cannot and will not please everyone, so try not to value other people’s opinions too much or you’ll live a confined life.”

Five years from now, Zamora hopes to be either pursuing or fulfilling a successful career. He expressed that no matter what he does, he is passionate about wanting to help others and making an impact in the world.