Teen Gamer's Internship Helps Her Develop Her Own Hit Game!

Paulina Raguimov was just 16 years old when she took up a video game internship at JumpStart that would change her life and lead her to be the mind behind a hit game!

It all began when she attended a high school career fair. The booth for the video game company JumpStart caught her eye, and they were offering internships.

While Paulina had always enjoyed playing video games, she had never dreamed of creating games herself. Still, she was intrigued by the company and applied.

When it came time for her to interview, she was worried that she would fail with her limited job experience or knowledge about programming, but she did great. Instead, they asked her about her passions and who she was as a person, and experience didn't even come up.

Paulina started at JumpStart as a production intern, which consisted of playing sections of games over and over looking for mistakes that could be fixed before the game would be sent out to actual buyers. 

Soon, she also learned how to describe certain aspects of games in design docs and to utilize the tools that make creating games possible.

Nine months later, when she was having trouble in chemistry class, she realized a game based on the science, with elements similar to Candy Crush, could teach students chemistry in a way that would be relatable and compelling.

She decided to put her idea into action. She drew up a 30-page design document, and showed it to a curriculum designer, who then took the idea up to her boss. Eventually, the document found its way into the hands of the company's CEO.

The game went into development and Paulina was promoted from an intern to a production assistant. Eventually, it was incorporated as a mini game into School of Dragons, an MMO based on Dreamworks' How To Train Your Dragon.

But it didn't end there. The idea was so successful it eventually became its own title, How To Train Your Dragon: Alchemy Adventure. Paulina led the creative aspect of the game, even managing a team of programmers. The game's average review is five stars on the App Store.

Today, Paulina is 19 years old and a game designer at JumpStart! 

We love Paulina Raguimov's success story, and it was all possible because she took a risk, tried new things and went after something she cared about! Let us know what you think in the comments below, and share your favorite girl power stories with us at Sweety High!