EDUCATON
Experience, motivation, and recognition for his work led to one of the crowning achievements in Andrew Augustin’s young career: he was accepted into the 2014-2015 inaugural class of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy at the University of Texas on a full scholarship with a $10,000 stipend. The program typically required applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree, but due to Andrew’s outstanding work in the video game industry, he was granted admission without meeting the formal degree requirement. This opportunity allowed him to earn a certificate in the post-grad program and further strengthen his skills. Before joining the academy, Andrew was a self-taught graphic designer, video game creator, and animator, working across both print and digital cartoons.
EDUCATOR
In 2017, Augustin decided to share his talent for game design, animation, and graphic design with high school students. For three years Augustin taught animation, video game design, and graphic design at Andy Dekaney High School in Spring, Texas. His motivation for teaching at Dekaney, a minority-majority school, came from his experiences being one of only two or three Black people on 100-plus-person game development teams.
Certain barriers prohibit minority students who are interested in becoming a developer from pursuing that career path. It's a problem partially perpetuated, Augustin believes, by a lack of exposure: "I thought it was pretty cool that they're able to see somebody that looks like them in an industry that they enjoy playing, but they never really thought about being a part of." During his teaching tenure, several students told Augustin they plan to pursue game design careers, and some have gone on to receive scholarships from art schools.
PROFESSOR
As an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Austin, Andrew Augustin is dedicated to teaching and inspiring the next generation of artists, animators, and game developers. His courses provide students with practical, real-world knowledge about creating games and animations, drawing directly from his years of experience in the industry. Andrew’s teaching style focuses on helping students turn their creative ideas into finished projects by sharing the same techniques and principles he uses in his own work.
Alongside his teaching, Andrew continues to develop his own creative projects, including the Super Ubie Island series and the Dream. Create. Play. book series. By staying active in the industry, he keeps his knowledge fresh and brings current methods and ideas into the classroom. This balance allows him to teach students with a perspective that connects education to professional practice.
For Andrew, teaching is more than a career—it’s a way to give back to the creative community that shaped him. By sharing his knowledge and experience, he helps students grow into confident creators, ready to make their mark on the world.
