Creating 3D creation education materials for Launchpad - a Philadelphia-based workforce development program that provides technology training to build accelerated pathways to tech careers - was like crafting a key to unlock new worlds for the students we worked with.

In preparation for the program, our team’s first assignment this summer was to build CreateAccess Island, a Fortnite island that aimed to introduce the Launchpad students to our team and to the capabilities of Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) through a series of interactive quests. The rush to build our island before the first day of programming was intense, but it brought our team together in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Late-night Discord messages flew back and forth, filled with both memes and troubleshooting ideas. It wasn’t just technical work; it was a collaborative journey that felt like we were all leveling up together. Seeing our virtual world come to life, knowing it would be the jumping off point for students, filled me with a sense of pride that’s hard to describe. In the end, we produced a fully functional Fortnite island for the students. The quests we created had them engage with animated avatars of our facilitator team who spoke in our own voices, and interactive environments including a theater, a movie set, an escape room, and a river rafting trip. The island demonstrated some of the ways that students could customize a Fortnite experience using UEFN, which helped prepare them to build their own islands in the coming weeks with us.

Facilitating the 3D creator program was where the real magic happened. Over the six weekly sessions, we guided students to learn photogrammetry techniques, where they captured real life objects as 3D models, environmental landscaping in UEFN, animation with both objects and avatars, and cinematic sequences to create dynamic and eye-capturing player experiences. The end goal of the program was for each student to complete their very own Fortnite island, showcasing their creativity and individuality. I was constantly in awe of the students’ creativity and how quickly they took to the 3D tools. One moment that stands out was working with a student who wanted to animate a gateway composed of giant strawberries that would float in a sequenced pathway. We brainstormed, tested, and iterated together until that idea became a reality. What truly blew me away, though, was when that same student took the concept even further, adding storytelling elements I hadn’t even considered, including animated avatars of herself, portal doorways to other parts of her island, and photogrammetry models of real-life objects she had brought to the session.

Another moment that stands out to me was when a student who had been working diligently on his island during the previous sessions suddenly encountered an issue. One of the files that was used on the island had become corrupted, rendering the island unable to load or be used. Sadly, this is not uncommon when using new technologies. Despite his best efforts to save and prevent issues, the student was not able to recover his island. Typically, I would expect most to be discouraged. However, rather than quitting, the student said “that’s okay. I can rebuild it, and now I can build it more efficiently and better than I did before”. This really surprised me, and made me very proud of the growth mindset the student showed, as well as confirming that he would be a great creator. He did, in fact, rebuild his island even better with the additional information he learned since his first attempt. Patience and the willingness to try again, as well as reassess your work and explore what can be improved, is crucial for careers like this, where the playing field is always evolving and you are constantly learning new tools and skills.

The final day of CreateAccess’ sessions with Launchpad was definitely my favorite. Throughout the day, students showcased their islands. There was this palpable excitement in the air as each student revealed their creation, each island telling its own unique story. Watching their faces light up with pride as their work was celebrated was a powerful reminder of why I do this. It wasn’t just about teaching them to use tools; it was about helping build confidence to create, to explore, and to teach others. That day reaffirmed for me the incredible value of both Launchpad and CreateAccess, not just as educational programs, but as a community where creativity thrives and grows beyond the classroom.

Patience and the willingness to try again, as well as reassess your work and explore what can be improved, is crucial for careers like this, where the playing field is always evolving and you are constantly learning new tools and skills.

A Growth Mindset: Our 3D Creator Program with Launchpad