Angel Alba, High School Teacher, Esports Coach and Director of Operations for Nebula Esports
Angel earned her master’s degree in educational instructional technology at NIU and served as the vice president, president and Overwatch coordinator for NIU Huskie Gaming while at NIU. She’s now a high school teacher, esports coach and director of operations for Nebula Esports, a grassroots amateur Overwatch league. This seemed like an interesting opportunity to explore some of the rewarding, creative career paths available in esports, so we interviewed Angel to learn more about her career path and her advice to current students.
Can you share about your esports experience at NIU?
I joined NIU esports club when it was still located in the basement of Neptune hall, and I got to assist in the transition to Altgeld Hall. I started out by volunteering to be the social media coordinator. I had recently taken up playing the game Overwatch with my son and had been looking for more people to share my interest with.
After my first semester as a part of the club, I applied to be Vice President. At the beginning of that semester, we found out that we needed to be competing since we were a sports club, so those of us in the club researched possible avenues for competing and found the NECC (National Esports Collegiate Conference), and we enrolled teams for Overwatch, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Rainbow 6 Siege, Valorant, Rocket League and League of Legends. We also rebranded from NIU Esports Club to NIU Huskie Gaming.
I ended up stepping into the president role and then continuing in that role until I graduated, sharing co-presidency at the end during my practical internship. During my time as president, I was able to represent our club in meetings, charity events, co-hosted public events, and club meetings. I also had the pleasure to serve as the Overwatch coordinator for two years. During this time, I became friends with the people I’m closest to now, I made memories that I’ll never forget, and I developed the skills I needed to be a successful leader in the esports world. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for NIU Esports.
What were some of the highlights for you of playing at NIU?
As I mentioned, I played Overwatch for Huskie Gaming. Our matches were once a week, and we practiced twice a week. Since I was a grad student, a majority of my classes were in the evening, so a lot of our practice days were based off of my schedule. I was fortunate to be able to take some of NIU’s esports classes, so even though I had a full schedule I was able to be learning about my passion and gaining some credit for it as well. This became exceptionally helpful since I am now the co-founder and Director of Operations for Nebula Esports and learning production for streaming.
What were you studying at NIU?
At that time, I was working on a master’s degree in Educational Instructional Technology. (MSEDIT).
Can you tell us about your job now? What you do, and how is esports part of it?
I am currently a teacher at Jefferson High School in Rockford, Illinois. I am the head Esports coach there. I’m also the Director of Operations for Nebula Esports, a grassroots amateur Overwatch league. I am learning production and expanding my own personal streaming. I own, manage and play for an Overwatch team called Leviathans. After graduating, finding a space to recreate the feeling I had being a part of NIU Esports Club/Huskie Gaming was so important to me.
What lessons or skills did you learn in esports? How do they apply in your current roles?
I learned so many things! I learned about writing by-laws, how to hold an official meeting (things like quorum, policy for amending by-laws, the actual leading of a meeting, etc.), how to be a leader, organizational skills for preparing events and leagues, how to resolve conflict, how to create engaging events that cater to varied interests, trainings in ethics and leadership, how to support teammates in wins/losses and probably so much more. All these skills apply in my daily life as an esports coach and a leader in our league.
What advice do you have for current NIU students considering esports?
If you’re interested in esports at NIU, I highly recommend getting involved! There’s a great deal of research that shows that getting involved in activities and finding a community of like-minded individuals increases student success rates and your overall school experience. Even if you don’t play competitively, you can join for club meetings and events. If you are interested in any of the titles that are offered through Huskie Gaming, remember that there is no skill level cap and that you will always be welcomed and appreciated for joining. You may meet your new best friends and become part of something that changes your life!
