Real World Issues, Real World Impact. (ft. Valentina Esho)
May I Be Heard? Vol. 2 ft. Valentina Esho
If you’ve been a part of our Empire Family for a while, you’ve probably heard of Niles West High School. They’ve attended every Empire program ever. Atlanta. San Francisco. New York. Chicago Online.
They’re like Empire ambassadors.
With two Empire experiences under her belt, this week’s May I Be Heard star is a Niles West alumna. She not only competed at Empire Chicago, but also helped her coach navigate the new rules surrounding an online competition.
Meet Valentina Esho, who just graduated from Niles West in Chicago. Valentina has a special place in her heart for Empire. She joined her school’s mock trial team just before her sophomore year, and immediately began competing at Empire. Her first mock trial case, first impeachment, first closing argument: all through Empire.
Inspired by her experiences, Valentina actually wrote her college application essay about mock trial and Empire.
“I talked about the way mock trial helped me make a significant impact on my community. My mock trial team and I have worked hard to ensure that both our team and other teams in the Chicagoland area have access to mock trial.”
Valentina credits that essay, and her experiences at Empire, for helping her get into an amazing college: Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; a city that she is excited to say will be much warmer than her hometown.
However, according to Valentina, one of the most important things she’s gained through her experiences at Empire is a better understanding of major social issues, often those impacting marginalized communities. In particular, she notes that her Empire cases have addressed issues like white supremacy, social and economic inequality and environmental pollution.
“I walked into high school with a very idyllic and incomplete view of the world. I was aware of these issues [the case topics], but I had always thought of them as problems that happened to someone else somewhere far away.”
But Empire cases dig deep. And that is something that really resonated with her and her teammates.
“I strongly feel that Empire's inclusion of real world issues in their mock cases is part of why Empire made such a huge impact on me,” noted Valentina. “Empire cases take these real-world issues and present them in an environment where we can safely navigate and understand them.”
Though Valentina graduated in May, her Empire days aren’t behind her yet. She says she looks forward to volunteering as a Blue Shirt at future competitions, and we can’t wait to have her back.
What would Valentina say to a team thinking about applying to Empire Online this fall? Two words: do it.
“I had fun, I learned new things, I challenged myself. I know this may seem surprising, but it was just as amazing as in-person Empire experiences. We had a “speed dating” session [without the romance, and with breakout rooms], a very lit dance party, coffee with Blue Shirts, stand-up comedy with Second City, and much more. We still got to meet people from all over and we still had a great time.”
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Watch Valentina’s full interview playback here.
Ready for your own Empire Experience? Applications are OPEN for the 2021 Cyberspace Season this Fall. To learn more and how to apply, click here.