Darrell Hubbard gradated from ACC with a game design degree before transferring for his bachelor’s degree. He now teaches high school math and plans to develop education games.

Darrell Hubbard has a vision for combining his two passions — video games and education — in a way that could change lives. “Just imagine,” he says, “if your teacher told you, ‘Tonight I want you to complete level one and two of this video game for homework.’ How would you feel? I know growing up, I would be excited.”

While his plans seem so clear to him now, it wasn’t always that way. Hubbard began his college career as a communications major at the University of Texas at Austin, but struggled to find his footing.

“This is my ultimate goal: To change how people view video games and what they can do for our future.”

“I lost a lot of motivation because I wasn’t interested in what I was doing,” he recalls.

What really interested him? Designing video games. As he was exploring his options, a conversation with his youth pastor led him to realize that the Game Development, Animation, and Motion Graphics Program at Austin Community College was right for him. The program is part of the Arts, Digital Media, and Communications Area of Study.

“I had no money and no job,” says Hubbard, “but I knew what I wanted to achieve.”

At ACC, Hubbard got involved outside the classroom, which revealed resources for support and helped his grades. He also became a tutor, which sparked the idea of using video games to teach math — and other subjects as well.

With his vision and his path set, Hubbard graduated from ACC and continued on to Huston-Tillotson University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in education.

Now a high school math teacher, he is applying the hands-on learning skills and techniques he learned at ACC to help students develop the knowledge that will fuel their own passions.

Hubbard plans to earn master’s and doctoral degrees and eventually design educational video games full time for his own company.

“This is my ultimate goal: To change how people view video games and what they can do for our future.”