Passaic Today

Abraham Rubio, a first-generation college graduate from Bloomfield College of Montclair State University, has transformed his passion for video games into a career in software engineering. Rubio's journey began at a young age when he started creating custom mods for Minecraft, learning Java through YouTube tutorials. This early experience taught him to think like an engineer.

During his time at Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology, Rubio discovered that game development could be a viable career path. Encouraged by a teacher, he applied to Bloomfield College, known for its strong Game Design program in New Jersey. Initially enrolling as a Game Design major, Rubio later switched to Computer Science and Game Programming to focus on the technical aspects of the field.

Rubio emphasized the importance of collaboration during his studies at Bloomfield. "The biggest thing I learned at Bloomfield was how to work with others," he said. He revived the college's Game Club and learned valuable leadership skills through organizing events and tournaments with support from peers and faculty.

Rubio's skills were further recognized when he was selected for NASA’s Game Development internship program out of over 600 applicants. At NASA, he worked on a project designed to help high school students understand climate change through gaming. Reflecting on this experience, Rubio noted, "NASA’s not known for games, but they wanted this project."

As Rubio prepares to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Game Programming on May 8, he looks forward to pursuing a career in software engineering. He acknowledges the support of his family throughout his educational journey: "They might not understand a lot of the intricacies of college, but they were there every step of the way."

Montclair State University will celebrate its graduates at Commencement exercises on May 7 and May 8 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.