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Aya Al Sabahi
Programmer
Aya recently earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Game Design from Carnegie Mellon University and is now pursuing a Master of Entertainment Technology at the ETC. She has developed projects ranging from culturally inspired narrative games like Lost in Mutrah (Oman) to playful game experiments. Her experiences as a teaching assistant, software developer, and outreach intern have shaped a passion for building experiences that merge technology, education, and culture. At the ETC, Aya is excited to collaborate with diverse teams to design immersive, human-centered experiences that spark curiosity and connection. Her future goals include creating impactful games and interactive media that highlight underrepresented cultural stories and exploring opportunities in both the game and immersive technology industries. Outside of class, she enjoys film photography and exploring the intersections of art and technology.
Aiden (Le) He
Artist
Le He is a 3D environment artist and game designer at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. He earned his B.S. in Game Design from the University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering program (EAE), where he built a strong foundation in 3D modeling and environment design.
Le has worked on projects ranging from medieval fantasy worlds to creative playable ads, gaining experience in both artistic production and interactive design. His passion lies in crafting immersive, story-driven environments that feel alive and meaningful to players.
At the ETC, he is excited to expand beyond 3D art into broader areas of game design, storytelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration. His goal is to create interactive worlds that merge technical precision with emotional impact.
Christina (Hang) Yin
Producer
Christina is a storyteller fueled by a deep curiosity about our shared human history. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Film and TV from Boston University and spent two years learning the business side of Hollywood before joining the ETC. Through her work, she hopes to inspire people to live more fully in the moment and to build deeper connections—with each other and with the world around them—by designing experiences that blend creativity, artful communication, and user-focused technology.
Ethan Wills
Sound Designer
Gamma (Shijia) Zheng
Experience Designer
Gamma is a product-minded designer with a background in Advertising from Xiamen University Malaysia, where she graduated with distinction. She has led cross-cultural advertising campaigns, designed UX/UI for real-world apps, and built interactive projects from therapy games to AI-driven installations. These experiences sharpened her skills in user research, interface design, and storytelling. At the ETC, she aims to deepen her creative leadership and explore how immersive technology can shape next-generation products. Her long-term goal is to become a product designer who can also step into a creative director role, crafting fun, wellness-driven stories that inspire and delight.
Nightray (Te) Zhou
Game Designer
Nightray Zhou earned a degree in Visual Communication Design from the Communication University of China and completed an exchange program at UCLA, where they explored interactive design. Their work combines visual storytelling, digital media, and interactive experiences, often experimenting with prototypes and hands-on installations. At the ETC, Nightray is excited to explore game and interactive media design that blends narrative, interactivity, and emotion. They enjoy observing how people engage with their creations and using those insights to inspire innovative, playful, and meaningful experiences. Through their work, Nightray hopes to craft immersive designs that connect with audiences in unexpected and memorable ways.
Heather Kelley
Faculty Advisor
Heather Kelley is an Associate Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, where she teaches game design and interactive media. A celebrated game designer, media artist and curator, her work explores sensory-rich experiences, integrating touch, smell, movement and nervous system response into gameplay.
Before joining the ETC, Heather built an extensive career in the games industry, working with Ubisoft, Eidos (Ion Storm) and Behaviour Interactive on AAA console games. She is a co-founder of Kokoromi, the experimental game collective behind SUPERHYPERCUBE, and has curated international exhibitions, including Joue le Jeu in Paris. Named one of Fast Company’s 30 most influential women in technology, she has received awards from Microsoft Women in Gaming and Vienna’s Content Awards.
At the ETC, Heather is passionate about mentoring students in experimental and socially impactful game design. Her research interests include disability justice, climate-conscious play and alternative sensory interfaces. When she’s not teaching or designing, Heather enjoys performing music, biking, hiking, wild swimming and foraging—always seeking inspiration from her senses and the natural world.
Heather Kelley joined the ETC in 2015.
Ricardo Washington
Faculty Advisor
Ricardo is an Assistant Teaching Faculty member at the Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. He specializes in giving the students instruction and guidance in art related areas of their program.
Ricardo helps students at the ETC to learn the tools and techniques needed to be a successful artist, and he helps them to understand what they are doing on a deeper level. His contributions helped ETC students on projects such as STEMSpire, Tiny and Colorize produce work that has been published, won awards and exceeded client expectations in novel ways.
He worked with small game companies and still does freelance game art and production. Recently he was the lead artist for an ETC collaboration with the Software Engineering Institute for the President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition.
Before his life as a digital artist, Ricardo worked as a research specialist in the Neurobiology department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine with four publications. His time in science led him directly to his life as a digital artist.
Ricardo serves the community through his work at the ETC. He helped develop and implemented the video game design programs for a local nonprofit Homewood Children’s Village. He is a long standing member of the faculty for the National High School Game Academy offered to high school students every summer at the ETC.
Ricardo’s other interests include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, hiking, cooking, photography and spending time with his family.
Ricardo Washington joined the ETC in 2016.