Urban Arts and Booze Allen Host Students—with Mobs and Axes
On October 27, middle and high school students from five D.C. schools came together for the third annual Duel in the District, a Minecraft Education Game Jam hosted by Urban Arts with Booz Allen Hamilton and BLN24.
The event introduces students to careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), showing how the creativity and problem-solving skills they use in gaming can connect to meaningful opportunities in advanced technology.
Working in teams, students designed virtual solutions to challenges in their communities, including affordable housing, green infrastructure, and better-connected neighborhoods. They explored how tools such as modeling and simulation help people test ideas, consider tradeoffs, and envision solutions before they’re built. “If you turn the learning into a game, you’ll get the buy-in more, you’ll get them intrigued, and to be honest, they’ll be the ones creating a new set of Minecraft 2.0. You never know.” —Tara Walker, Science Teacher and District Science Lead.
Now in its third year, Duel in the District reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to technology education and creating hands-on opportunities for young people to explore advanced technology and future careers.
“The space we’re in is always amazing. It’s the Helix Innovation Center for Booz Allen and we have a lot of programs here that I’ve attended or we host but today feels very different…when I walked in and the balloons were being hung and the color and the energy…it’s a level that automatically conveys creativity is going to happen here.”—Christine Skennion Hoisington, Director of Community Impact & Philanthropy; and Executive Director of the Booz Allen Foundation.
“What I see in the room today is a room full of creators, paired with incredible mentors and people who care to grow the next generation.” —Brian Nguyen, BLN24 (CEO)
“Every year, I’m reminded that creativity and joy go hand in hand. Watching students build solutions for D.C. together in Minecraft is proof that when young people get to play, they start to see a future they can build themselves.”—Shannon Moran, Director of National Programs, Urban Arts
Duel in the District is supported by Booz Allen’s TechXplore initiative, which aims to equip more than one million young people with skills in AI, cybersecurity, and advanced technology.
Thank you to our partners, educators, and everyone who made year three possible.
Special thanks to Jeff R. and Jinnyn Jacob, MPP, for making this possible each year. Thank you to the team at Urban Arts: Shannon Moran, Savannah Chapman, Vanessa Cole, Richard Morin, Kathleen Elie. Thank you especially to the teachers and schools for bringing your amazing students, inspiring them, and going the extra mile: Participating schools: Friendship Chamberlain Middle School, Eliot-Hine Middle School, McKinley Technology High School, Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, H.D. Woodson High School.
Interested in partnering with us? Reach out at development@urbanarts.org.
#MinecraftEducation #GameBasedLearning #STEMforAll #projectbasedlearning
Urban Arts Celebrates Inaugural Founders Lab, Where NYC Students Used AI to Build Their Own Startups
NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2026 – Urban Arts today announced the successful completion of the inaugural Founders Lab, a ten-day accelerator that gave 20 students from low-income New York City communities the opportunity to use artificial intelligence to turn problems they know firsthand into startup ventures they could build, test and pitch.
The pilot brought together four teams of five students for an intensive startup experience spanning ideation, product development and customer validation. Along the way, they used AI as a constructive tool to research markets, evaluate competitors and synthesize feedback, while learning to think like founders by testing assumptions, taking risks and refining their ideas. The program reflects a broader shift in entrepreneurship: AI is rapidly reducing the barriers to turning an idea into a working product, but access to the mentorship, networks and business knowledge needed to become a founder remains uneven.
“Urban Arts has spent decades helping young people see a future for themselves in technology. Founders Lab takes that a step further by showing them they can own a piece of what comes next,” said Philip Courtney, CEO of Urban Arts. “The goal isn’t just to build a talent pipeline into the AI economy. It’s to build an entrepreneurial pipeline. That means giving students the tools to test a concept, learn from failure, and keep pushing until they hae something they’re ready to put in front of the world.”
Celebrating Gary Andersen: Game On Teacher Named Finalist for NC CTE Teacher of the Year
As we finish up the 2025-26 school year, we are proud to celebrate our outstanding Game On by Urban Arts teachers. One of those incredible teachers is Gary Andersen, Computer Science teacher at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, NC, who was named a finalist for the NCCAT 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Career & Technical Education Teacher of the Year Award. Gary was one of 23 exceptional educators selected from across North Carolina for this distinction, and he joined his fellow finalists for a week of professional development before being honored at a special ceremony this past December.
Inspiring the Creators and Innovators of Tomorrow at Universal Epic Universe
In partnership with Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX), we welcomed nearly 200 college and high school students from across the country to the first Inspiring Future Innovators Summit — a multi-day experience designed to spark ideas, build technical skills, and show students firsthand how creativity can open doors to careers in technology and entertainment.
Guided by mentors from Comcast and UDX, students participated in a design challenge where Universal Epic Universe was their innovation lab — and where gaming, storytelling, and thrill design were powered by their imagination.
The October PIXEL 🎃
The College Fellows Program We welcome our new cohort of paid alumni at Urban Arts. Our free College Access Program has piloted the College Fellows Program, pairing new high school seniors with a trained college mentor among Urban Arts alumni. These Fellows guide Game Academy seniors with step-by-step assistance with applications, essays, financial aid, and […]
“The Vanishing Enigma” Honored in Congressional App Challenge
NEW YORK, NY (2025) — Urban Arts, a New York City-based nonprofit that teaches digital game design as a pathway to college and wide-ranging careers, is proud to announce that The Vanishing Enigma created by Studio Capstone team “The AristoRats” has won the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for New York’s Eighth District, hosted by Representative […]
CEO Philip Courtney X Spark ⚡️ Talk
Urban Arts CEO Philip Courtney delivered the energized Spark Talk “Video Gaming: An Equitable On-Ramp to Workforce Development” at the Infosys Foundation conference in Indianapolis May 8, 2025—and coined the phrase “digital DaVincis.”
How many times would you have raised your hand?
Read the speech below to catch the spark.
Let’s play a game…..
COLLEGE ACCESS 2025 A New Generation of Game-Changers Takes the Next Step
Urban Arts is thrilled to celebrate our seniors as they commit to colleges across the country, armed with scholarships and dreams that are no longer just possibilities, but realities. These students — predominantly from low-income communities and first-generation applicants—are not just getting in. They’re thriving, rewriting the narrative of who belongs in the world of higher education, technology and game design. Urban Arts students have earned $45+ millions in scholarships since 2017.
Urban Arts to Honor Josh Feldman with NBCUniversal at 2025 Color Ball
Dear Life of the Party,
At Urban Arts’ Color Ball on April 10th, five extraordinary young people took the stage—and owned it. Their powerful stories and remarkable achievements received a rousing response from a room filled with 400 guests. It was a night that celebrated not only their success, but the limitless potential of every Urban Arts student.
Because of you—our incredible supporters, champions, and dance-floor legends—Color Ball 2025 raised $800k in a single night! That’s right, you made it rain (philanthropically speaking), and our Urban Arts students are the real winners! Daniel Glenn-Schultz, our inspiring Nagler Scholar, deserves a standing ovation. His story reminds us why we do this work—because talent deserves opportunity, and every student deserves a chance to create their future.
“Imagine a little boy standing at Parkchester Subway station. I’m staring at a vast subway map. I’m following the multi-colored lines. As I stare at that map, I feel I can go anywhere! Urban Arts has changed my life. And now this scholarship will change my life yet again.”
—Daniel Glenn-Schultz, 2025 Nagler Scholar
A huge thank you to our honoree, NBCUniversal’s Josh Feldman, for his leadership and to NBCUniversal for your unwavering partnership. We couldn’t ask for better collaborators in this mission to fuel access and opportunity.
And let’s talk about Louis Cato and his band, who absolutely rocked the house (and may or may not have caused some sore feet this morning). Louis brought the perfect energy to cap off an unforgettable evening!To each and every one of you in the room and who raised your hand or bid wildly on auction items—THANK YOU! Your generosity ensures that Urban Arts students can dream big, create freely, and achieve their full potential.Missed the event but still want to make an impact? There’s still time to support our students and get involved! With deep gratitude, we’re heading into the future energized and inspired. Thank you for being part of this unforgettable night and the Urban Arts journey.
Highlights from the night:
• 100% college acceptance rate,
• $32M in college scholarships to date,
• $800K raised,
• 3 conga lines on the dance floor,
• a sea of sequins, blinding amounts of neon, plus stripes, florals, checks, comic-book print, marabou cuffs, animal prints, plaids, metallics, rhinestones, paisley—
• and one red cape!
There’s No Computer Science Without Creativity: Game Development as a Pathway to STEM Success
Dr. Amy Patterson of Urban Arts and Ellen Flaherty of Unity amplify the transformative impact of Computer Science (CS) through game development in a CSEdWeek OpEd (December 9-13, 2024). This piece spotlights how game design initiatives are changing the trajectory for K-12 students nationwide. Together, they showcase real student journeys—from high school to college to […]