Shenandoah Recognized for Inclusive Gaming Environment

Update: Shenandoah has made it into the finals round in The*gameHERs Awards for Best Collegiate Esports Team.

Vote now until Nov. 13. The Best Collegiate Esports Team ballot is located in the Community category.

The Shenandoah University esports team has been recognized for its inclusion and promotion of female, marginalized and non-binary gamers.

*gameHERs, an inclusive community for gamers who are women, non-binary individuals, and marginalized genders of all races and sexualities, recently announced that Shenandoah has been nominated in its Best College Esports Team category in the organization’s annual awards.

According to *gameHERs, the Best Collegiate Esports Team Award honors the “most successful collegiate esports team of women and/or femme-identifying folks who has avidly brought gamers together, inspired other women and femme-identifying folks, and raised industry standards during the last 12 months.”

Director of Esports Joey Gawrysiak, Ph.D., said the team was honored to be nominated.

At Shenandoah, we strive to foster inclusion and a welcoming environment where everyone can be who they are. Having a diverse group of gamers improves both the gaming and educational experience and brings new ideas and perspectives to the table.”

Joey Gawrysiak, Ph.D. | Director of Esports

Shenandoah currently has eight female and non-binary gamers on its 47-member varsity team. There are about five female and non-binary students in the academic program.

It’s a very supportive environment. Everybody here is treated the same. They’re all very fair. It’s a good community, a very good vibe. Everyone is respected.”

Caitlyn Graulau ’23 | Esports Media and Communications major

Sophomore Caitlyn Mayo ’23 serves as the social media marketing coordinator work-study for the esports varsity team.

I think everyone here is very accepting of everyone. It doesn’t matter where you come from, who you are, or what you’re wearing. We’re all here to learn more about the program and the game.”

Caitlyn Mayo ’23

To vote for Shenandoah, visit https://thegamehers.com/vote. This award falls under the “community” category.

Voting begins today and continues through Thursday, Oct. 22. The nominees with the most votes will move on to the finals. Finalists will be notified on Monday, Oct. 26.

There will be five winners in each category. Winners will be announced and celebrated on Nov. 19 during a livestream awards ceremony on the *gameHERs Twitch channel.