Two FAMU Students Win Inaugural EA Madden Scholarships

Two Florida A&M University students, Sidney Berry and Ronnie Burns II, were named in the inaugural class of EA Madden’s Scholarship Program.

Berry, a junior public relations student from Atlanta, was awarded an $8,400 scholarship. She is also a FAMU Disney Future Storytellers Scholar. Burns is a sophomore computer science student from Dallas, Texas.

Created in partnership with the United Negro College Fund, the Madden Scholarship Program supports the educational growth and career development training of students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It’s one of several  “John Madden Legacy Commitment” initiatives launched by EA in 2022 to celebrate the impact of legendary coach and broadcaster John Madden, the company said.  

On March 23, Berry and other inaugural scholarship recipients visited EA’s Florida headquarters in Orlando, where Madden NFL is made. During their visit, they toured the studio and heard from industry professionals about working in STEAM.

Berry said the Orlando visit was eye-opening.

“It was amazing. I got to network with a lot of people in the field. Since I am already interested in EA as a company, being able to see what they do, I got to see what pathways I can take and what they offer at the company,” said Berry, who has played EA games since she was a young girl. “I got to see a lot of behind-the-scenes and put things in perspective. It was cool to learn how they do what they do.”

Having played EA Madden since he was a little boy, Burns said applying for the scholarship made perfect sense.

“You have to go for every opportunity. I learned I can’t sell myself short. The program opened the door for me to meet great people and mentors in the field I want to go into,” said Burns, who hopes that winning the $12,000 scholarship would help inspire others.

 “It’s reassuring to know you are on the right path,” he added. “The fact that I was blessed with a scholarship in the computer science gaming field from the people who I was playing their game since I was a kid, it’s near and dear to my heart.”