In September, Paul Broske II, a recent graduate of the Bear POWER program at Missouri State University, put his IT skills into practice for a prestigious event – the Special Olympics Gaming for Inclusion.
From Sept. 16-18, Broske was in Redmond, Washington, where he collaborated with Microsoft and Mojang on a coding project. He also provided additional support for the popular video game, Minecraft.
This opportunity came about thanks to a nomination by Special Olympics Illinois and Special Olympics International.
“The competition allowed me to build battles in the game and work closely with Minecraft developers,” Broske said. “I could see what new updates could be added into the game and it helped me overall to gain more experience in the fields of IT and general programming.”
During the two-day event, participants learned from and collaborated with Minecraft developers.
This project represented a significant milestone for Broske, allowing him to apply his skills in a real-world setting with one of the most iconic games in the industry.
How MSU prepared him for the IT world
Broske’s journey to this exciting opportunity began during his time in the Bear POWER program from fall 2021-2023. Bear POWER is a five-semester initiative at MSU designed for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The program bridges the gap between high school and professional careers, offering students the chance to receive a post-secondary education tailored to their unique needs.
“My experience in the Bear POWER program gave me a taste of college life and prepared me for future job positions in the IT field,” Broske said.
While in the Bear POWER program, Broske studied information technology and cybersecurity (ITC) under the guidance of Dr. Xiang Guo, head of the ITC department.
“In computer hardware and operating system class, I taught students about major components of the computers and how to support different computing devices. Paul was able to take a computer apart and reassemble it again to learn all the components,” Guo said.
“Later in that program, he learned about coding and database, etc. The undergraduate IT certificate helped him to land an IT internship. This opportunity to work with Microsoft and others is a natural fit for him.”
More about Bear POWER
Bear POWER welcomed its first cohort of students in January 2019. Since then, six cohorts have been admitted.
To date, the program has produced 14 graduates, including one who continued at MSU to earn a bachelor’s degree.
This fall, the program experienced significant growth, with the newest cohort being the largest yet, comprising 13 students. This brings the total number of Bear POWER students on campus to 25.
“The Bear POWER program gives adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities an opportunity to change their life trajectory in a positive direction,” said April Phillips, Bear POWER director. “It gives them a chance to figure out who they are, what they want in life, and the knowledge to help them access those goals. It changes the lives for the Bear POWER students and those who support them (MSU Bear POWER ambassadors, staff, faculty and students).”