California Military Institute Builds Future-Ready Careers with Gameplan
California Military Institute Builds Future-Ready Careers with Gameplan
Jun 25, 2025
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Summary
California Military Institute created a high-impact career pathway for grades 7–12 by integrating Gameplan into its curriculum. With 70% of students now leaning toward tech fields like AI, cybersecurity, and game design, and a growing waitlist for enrollment, the program proves that interest-driven learning leads to real-world readiness.
The Story of California Military Institute
Introducing students to new careers with things they love with purpose - and a waitlist.
California Military Institute is a public military charter school located in Perris, California. It serves students in grades 7–12 and focuses on discipline, leadership, and college and career readiness. They needed a more engaging pathway to introduce and prepare students for high-paying and high-demand careers.
Tarun Shah, Head of Esports, Cybersecurity and AI at CMI, who has a background in software development and entrepreneurship, saw the potential of esports and gaming as a vehicle to build excitement for STEM learning.
"In K–12, you want to build enthusiasm for careers in science and technology. For us, the way to do that was through gaming and esports. Middle and high schoolers already play video games, and jumping straight into teaching coding just isn’t engaging for most of them. Esports was a way to get traction, and it worked. There’s a lot of research and proven outcomes from other schools using it too." - Tarun Shah
That’s why CMI invested in an esports lab. But they lacked a student friendly, dynamic platform. After researching multiple curricula and LMS solutions, they chose Gameplan and launched a future-focused program called “Digital Pathways.”
About the Educator: Tarun Shah
Tarun, who previously spent 15+ years in product management, business, and software development, joined CMI to lead a new initiative: blending esports, emerging technologies, and career-connected learning. He quickly realized that getting students excited about fields like coding, cybersecurity, or AI wasn’t easy without the right foundation. He currently teaches courses in esports, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence at CMI.
"We expect kids to make career choices without giving them any real background. We expose them to math and English, then ask them to choose a path - that’s a problem we’re solving. By exposing students to 8–9 different high-paying careers, they get a chance to explore and decide for themselves. Many students had no idea they were good at cybersecurity or tech until they tried it. The same goes for business and entrepreneurship; you don’t know until you actually do it." - Tarun Shah
The Challenge: Building Career Exposure and Engagement in a Military School Context
Acknowledging the benefits of including student interest and passion in an educational context, CMI invested in an esports lab. While students were enthusiastic about technology, traditional STEM tools (Powerpoints, worksheets) failed to inspire passion. Parents also needed reassurance that this was career preparation, not nonstop screen time. But they didn’t have a curriculum or a platform that would tie everything together. Traditional tools such as PowerPoint and worksheets were not going to be enough.
“If you are introducing students to new career pathways in tech, and you don’t have the LMS or the tools for it but use PowerPoint and worksheets, that’s not engaging.” – Tarun Shah
They had two main challenges:
Deliver hands-on, relevant exposure to real-world careers
Create a program that was both engaging for students and convincing for parents
There was an initial reaction and hesitancy from parents when the original course title was chosen as “Introduction to Esports”
“Students loved it, but parents were like, ‘Do I really want my kid playing video games all day in school?’” – Tarun Shah
CMI needed to educate parents and other stakeholders on what the program actually taught and make it clear that it was about career exploration, not just gameplay.
Solution: Why CMI Chose Gameplan
“We needed more than just slides and worksheets.”
After researching multiple options, CMI selected Gameplan for its:
Structured curriculum aligned to tech and career skills
Editable LMS that allowed Tarun to integrate custom content
Strong support and responsiveness from the Gameplan team
LMS integration and CSV grade export functionality
Ease of use across six classrooms with duplication tools
"Gameplan boosts engagement. Without an interesting LMS, all you really have are PowerPoints and worksheets and that’s not engaging for students. When you use a cutting-edge LMS with the right tools, it makes interaction and engagement so much easier, especially when you're teaching tech. Manual methods just don’t cut it anymore." – Tarun Shah
How CMI Used Gameplan
Phase 1: Initial Implementation – Introductory Year
Tarun launched a curriculum that combined 60% Gameplan content with 40% of his own material. Due to the flexibility of the platform and content editor, Tarun was able to add his own content to the curriculum. They have laid it out by month by month, and expect everything to run even more smoothly next year. The main goal is to expose students to 7-9 career pathways.
“I needed to duplicate content across six classes, and Gameplan literally added a new function just for that. That’s how responsive they’ve been.” – Tarun Shah
Phase 2: Growth & Future Planning – Advanced Year and Beyond
With year one focused on exposure to 7-9 career paths, year two will go deeper, with a heavy emphasis on certifications, internships, and career readiness.
CMI also plans to create a promotional video featuring the their esports lab and Gameplan, student testimonials, and class footage. This will serve as both recruitment and celebration of what the program has achieved.
“We want to use this video to attract more students and show what this program really is; something that prepares them for life after high school.” – Tarun Shah
The Results: Engagement, Certification, and a Waiting List
Certifications: With Tarun’s content additions on Gameplan, certifications earned in Python, SQL, AI, and cybersecurity
Career Direction: 70% of students expressed a strong interest in tech fields and 30% in business pathways
Student Voice: Survey results were overwhelmingly positive
Demand: Enrollment grew so much that a waitlist had to be introduced
Confidence: Students discovered skills they didn’t know they had, especially in cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and AI
"Around 70% of students have shown interest in tech-related fields like game design, software, AI, and cybersecurity. The rest leaned toward business, entrepreneurship, and digital marketing. We really achieved our objective." - Tarun Shah
Key Takeaways
Start with the Goal: Design around outcomes like college readiness, not just activities
Curriculum + LMS = Power Combo: Gameplan’s blend of content and tools enabled CMI to deliver personalized, future - ready learning
Parental Perception Matters: Rebranding from “Esports” to “Digital Pathways” helped bridge understanding
Career Exposure Solves a Systemic Gap: Students need to explore careers before college and Gameplan makes that possible
Responsive Partnership Pays Off: Gameplan’s support was a key success factor
“The metrics on Gameplan look really good. Most students are completing their work, and they genuinely enjoy using the LMS. All the feedback we received was positive; students had nothing but good things to say” - Tarun Shah
Creating Your Success Story
Ready to create a career-connected, student-loved digital pathway in your school?
CMI’s story shows that when you combine high-interest learning with career-focused outcomes, you get results immediately.
The Story of California Military Institute
Introducing students to new careers with things they love with purpose - and a waitlist.
California Military Institute is a public military charter school located in Perris, California. It serves students in grades 7–12 and focuses on discipline, leadership, and college and career readiness. They needed a more engaging pathway to introduce and prepare students for high-paying and high-demand careers.
Tarun Shah, Head of Esports, Cybersecurity and AI at CMI, who has a background in software development and entrepreneurship, saw the potential of esports and gaming as a vehicle to build excitement for STEM learning.
"In K–12, you want to build enthusiasm for careers in science and technology. For us, the way to do that was through gaming and esports. Middle and high schoolers already play video games, and jumping straight into teaching coding just isn’t engaging for most of them. Esports was a way to get traction, and it worked. There’s a lot of research and proven outcomes from other schools using it too." - Tarun Shah
That’s why CMI invested in an esports lab. But they lacked a student friendly, dynamic platform. After researching multiple curricula and LMS solutions, they chose Gameplan and launched a future-focused program called “Digital Pathways.”
About the Educator: Tarun Shah
Tarun, who previously spent 15+ years in product management, business, and software development, joined CMI to lead a new initiative: blending esports, emerging technologies, and career-connected learning. He quickly realized that getting students excited about fields like coding, cybersecurity, or AI wasn’t easy without the right foundation. He currently teaches courses in esports, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence at CMI.
"We expect kids to make career choices without giving them any real background. We expose them to math and English, then ask them to choose a path - that’s a problem we’re solving. By exposing students to 8–9 different high-paying careers, they get a chance to explore and decide for themselves. Many students had no idea they were good at cybersecurity or tech until they tried it. The same goes for business and entrepreneurship; you don’t know until you actually do it." - Tarun Shah
The Challenge: Building Career Exposure and Engagement in a Military School Context
Acknowledging the benefits of including student interest and passion in an educational context, CMI invested in an esports lab. While students were enthusiastic about technology, traditional STEM tools (Powerpoints, worksheets) failed to inspire passion. Parents also needed reassurance that this was career preparation, not nonstop screen time. But they didn’t have a curriculum or a platform that would tie everything together. Traditional tools such as PowerPoint and worksheets were not going to be enough.
“If you are introducing students to new career pathways in tech, and you don’t have the LMS or the tools for it but use PowerPoint and worksheets, that’s not engaging.” – Tarun Shah
They had two main challenges:
Deliver hands-on, relevant exposure to real-world careers
Create a program that was both engaging for students and convincing for parents
There was an initial reaction and hesitancy from parents when the original course title was chosen as “Introduction to Esports”
“Students loved it, but parents were like, ‘Do I really want my kid playing video games all day in school?’” – Tarun Shah
CMI needed to educate parents and other stakeholders on what the program actually taught and make it clear that it was about career exploration, not just gameplay.
Solution: Why CMI Chose Gameplan
“We needed more than just slides and worksheets.”
After researching multiple options, CMI selected Gameplan for its:
Structured curriculum aligned to tech and career skills
Editable LMS that allowed Tarun to integrate custom content
Strong support and responsiveness from the Gameplan team
LMS integration and CSV grade export functionality
Ease of use across six classrooms with duplication tools
"Gameplan boosts engagement. Without an interesting LMS, all you really have are PowerPoints and worksheets and that’s not engaging for students. When you use a cutting-edge LMS with the right tools, it makes interaction and engagement so much easier, especially when you're teaching tech. Manual methods just don’t cut it anymore." – Tarun Shah
How CMI Used Gameplan
Phase 1: Initial Implementation – Introductory Year
Tarun launched a curriculum that combined 60% Gameplan content with 40% of his own material. Due to the flexibility of the platform and content editor, Tarun was able to add his own content to the curriculum. They have laid it out by month by month, and expect everything to run even more smoothly next year. The main goal is to expose students to 7-9 career pathways.
“I needed to duplicate content across six classes, and Gameplan literally added a new function just for that. That’s how responsive they’ve been.” – Tarun Shah
Phase 2: Growth & Future Planning – Advanced Year and Beyond
With year one focused on exposure to 7-9 career paths, year two will go deeper, with a heavy emphasis on certifications, internships, and career readiness.
CMI also plans to create a promotional video featuring the their esports lab and Gameplan, student testimonials, and class footage. This will serve as both recruitment and celebration of what the program has achieved.
“We want to use this video to attract more students and show what this program really is; something that prepares them for life after high school.” – Tarun Shah
The Results: Engagement, Certification, and a Waiting List
Certifications: With Tarun’s content additions on Gameplan, certifications earned in Python, SQL, AI, and cybersecurity
Career Direction: 70% of students expressed a strong interest in tech fields and 30% in business pathways
Student Voice: Survey results were overwhelmingly positive
Demand: Enrollment grew so much that a waitlist had to be introduced
Confidence: Students discovered skills they didn’t know they had, especially in cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and AI
"Around 70% of students have shown interest in tech-related fields like game design, software, AI, and cybersecurity. The rest leaned toward business, entrepreneurship, and digital marketing. We really achieved our objective." - Tarun Shah
Key Takeaways
Start with the Goal: Design around outcomes like college readiness, not just activities
Curriculum + LMS = Power Combo: Gameplan’s blend of content and tools enabled CMI to deliver personalized, future - ready learning
Parental Perception Matters: Rebranding from “Esports” to “Digital Pathways” helped bridge understanding
Career Exposure Solves a Systemic Gap: Students need to explore careers before college and Gameplan makes that possible
Responsive Partnership Pays Off: Gameplan’s support was a key success factor
“The metrics on Gameplan look really good. Most students are completing their work, and they genuinely enjoy using the LMS. All the feedback we received was positive; students had nothing but good things to say” - Tarun Shah
Creating Your Success Story
Ready to create a career-connected, student-loved digital pathway in your school?
CMI’s story shows that when you combine high-interest learning with career-focused outcomes, you get results immediately.
Written by
Gameplan Team
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