The William M. Plater Civic Engagement Medallion was established in 2006 to honor IUPUI graduates who have excelled in their commitment to the community through activities such as service learning, volunteerism, community/social issue advocacy, community work-study, and political engagement.
Shawn Gwyn, a 2014 graduate of the Media Arts and Science program at the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI, was one of 34 recipients of the medallion presented as part of the IUPUI Robert G. Bringle Civic Engagement Showcase and Symposium on April 23 at the IUPUI Campus Center.
His altruistic efforts with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB), voluntarily cleaning up his neighborhood, and a host of other ways in which he strives to make his community better for everyone earned him the coveted William M. Plater Civic Engagement Medallion.
“Team building and technology class was wonderful. The professor went above and beyond to help students and create a service learning experience with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB), ” Gwyn said.
Gwyn’s service learning project with KIB consisted of producing a flash game mimicking Whack-a-Mole, to encourage others to get in the act of planting trees. Shawn and his team spent countless hours working on and smoothing out any hiccups until it was perfect and ready to be presented to the client.
“The service learning project with KIB, and some other projects I had the opportunity to work on, totally changed my idea of what games can do, how they can interact with the community, and what we should be doing with games. From those experiences, I also learned a tremendous amount about how to work with others to produce the best possible product.”
Gwyn’s experiences have not only changed the way he looks at games, but also his career ambitions. He now looks to make games that teach, improve the player, and the community around them.
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
jebehele@iu.edu
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