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Fresno State esports coach defy family’s expectations to pursue dream

When Tommy Cherta Lee heard about the opportunity to be one of Fresno State’s head coaches for its new esports program, he was living 1,500 miles away attending Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Lee, 28, was taking classes on a full-ride scholarship while playing on their esports team. He saw the opportunity and thought to himself, ‘Hey, you know what? It’s not going so well here.’ With that uncertainty, he left the Cornhusker State and flew to the Central Valley.

Lee, whose parents are first-generation Hmong refugees, was 27 at the time and wanted to look for opportunities outside Nebraska.