满帆 celebrated a milestone on Friday, April 3 when 布莱恩 Keith Gibson walked across the stage to receive his bachelor’s degree in 游戏设计, and in doing so became the 50,000th graduate since the inaugural class.

布莱恩, an online student from Northbrook, 伊利诺斯州, made the trip to 满帆’s Winter Park campus with his family to attend graduation. He had no idea that he was about to get the surprise of a lifetime when he was called to receive his diploma. As 布莱恩 made his way across the stage, organizers halted the ceremony to make the announcement, to the astonishment of nearly everyone in attendance— including 布莱恩.

“I did not come up here expecting to be the 50,000th graduate, but it’s amazing,他说. “It’s hard to put into words, but I couldn’t have done it without my parents. They gave me the drive and motivation. 还有我的妻子, she was there through all of it and she helped by watching [our] son while I was working. And of course my teammates. Without my classmates, I wouldn’t be here.”

Speaking at the ceremony, 满帆 President 加里•琼斯 reflected on the exponential growth of the 满帆 community over the last 36 years.

“Knowing what 布莱恩 will do, what you guys are going to do with the backdrop of 50,000 people that came before you through these same halls, 教室, and labs— the fingerprints of 满帆 graduates are across every imaginable element of this wonderful industry,加里说。. ”,因此, while 布莱恩 is an amazing and perfect example of what is great about 满帆, and that is our students and our graduates, the credit goes to every graduate and every graduate to come that is making a difference out there.”

布莱恩 was presented with a plaque commemorating the event, along with a 满帆 watch. When asked about his post-graduation plans, he said he was looking forward to a nice vacation before getting back to work.

“满帆 has taught me such a range of skills, but even with that there’s always room to grow,他说. “I’ll continue to sharpen those skills, and I’ll probably reconnect with my teammates to see what we can hammer out.”