Esports leads to thousands in scholarships

A Marion Tech student turned his talent and leadership at esports took home more than just a Championship Conference Title in Valorant. Troy Thrush translated his talents into thousands of dollars in scholarships when he transferred to Tiffin University to earn his bachelor's degree in cybersecurity. "You can get paid for esports! You can get paid to play video games," Thrush says. Thrush was recruited by the Tiffin University Esports team. They offered him a $3,000 esports scholarship on top of a $16,000 DragonNext scholarship for Marion Tech alumni who transfer to Tiffin. This cuts the cost of tuition in half for Thrush, who enters as a junior. "It was surprising to get recruited for esports. I had a lot of offers from other schools but none are as good as Tiffin's," Thrush says. "Now I'm going to get my bachelor's for $40,000 cheaper. I'm excited. It will be a lot of fun." Marion Tech esports coordinator Hana Cornell shares Thrush's excitement. "It's great to see our students succeed in matches and in life," Cornell says. Thrush took college classes for free at Marion Technical College while in high school through the College Credit Plus program. He graduated from River Valley High School in 2022 and came to Marion Tech full-time. "They were one of the only close colleges with an esports team, that made me consider it," Thrush says. In addition to the Esports teams, Thrush appreciated the affordability and convenience. "Everything else is just crazy expensive. I didn't want to take out loans. It worked out great! You won't find a cheaper option," Thrush says. "The education is great. I know all of my professors well. I enjoy the small class sizes more than sitting in a large lecture. There are small class sizes. It's great! There's so much transferability here." Thrush majored in computer networking and cybersecurity. His love of IT and leading led to him becoming the team captain for Marion Tech's Valorant team. "I like managing a lot of people. I like them looking up to me. I like to just get it done! I kind of just fell into the role," Thrush says. The team practiced online to be flexible for five players with different ages and lives. Their skills came together to pay huge dividends. "We were flawless in spring of '23 and then won our conference championship. That was probably the proudest moment," Thrush recalls. A college internship turned into a position as a computer repair technician at River Valley for Thrush. He also coached the high school esports team. "I didn't have any free time, but it was worth it. I needed the experience," Thrush says. Thrush is excited to start the semester at Tiffin and join their esports team. "It's a fully-dedicated team. It's four practices a week! It's like a full-time job at that point. I'm excited to learn what they are all about," Thrush said.