She calls her followers the Chibi Gang, Chiblings, and Chiblets, so it’s no surprise that @ChibiMiharu has plenty of fun while streaming. The BroadcastHER Grant winner’s games of choice? Mainly Starcraft II, but she’ll also occasionally stream Minecraft, By Daylight, Just Chatting, and Apex Legends. Through this grant, she’s also already reached one of her goals: a trip to DreamHack Montreal 2019, where she participated in the Starcraft World Championship Series while meeting her community in person for the first time. She even won first place in a Pokemon League Challenge during the trip!

What is your dream as a digital broadcaster?

My dream as a digital broadcaster is to one day turn this into a career and to make everyone’s days brighter and more fun! My goal as a broadcaster is to always put a smile on everyone’s faces. I want them to be able to come into the stream and relax and enjoy themselves after a long day — or during a bad day!

How will the BroadcastHER Grant from the 1,000 Dreams Fund help you reach your goals?

I’ll be able to upgrade my stream setup, which will help me produce higher quality content for my viewers. I’m also so speechless and grateful for DreamHack because it was such a heartwarming and amazing experience. It’s thanks to my amazing community that I have been able to get to where I am now.

What does being the recipient of the BroadcastHER Grant mean to you?

It means so much to me! I’m so happy to see other women supporting one another and trying their best to make their dreams a reality.

Women are underrepresented in gaming, broadcasting, and e-sports. What can we do to change this?

I believe we are already on the way to changing this thanks to 1DF! As full-time students and/or full-time workers, it can be really hard to follow your dreams when you don’t have the time or the financial means for good broadcasting equipment or for traveling! Thanks to these grants, women are getting closer to reaching their dreams and goals and staying motivated to push forward in gaming, broadcasting, and e-sports!

What are some of the challenges you have faced along the way?

Time management is definitely one of the challenges I have faced along the way. I’m currently a full-time student and full-time intern, and I have a lot of goals and hobbies, so it’s really hard to manage what I want to do with so little time. I’m currently aiming to reach the highest rank in Starcraft II and World Championships for Pokemon TCG — plus, I am always striving to be really good and competitive at the games I enjoy playing. Another challenge is definitely financial issues. As a student, I need to save money for my classes and books as well as daily living expenses, so it’s not easy to pay for good equipment straight off the bat.

What advice do you have for women who want to start broadcasting?

Definitely have fun with streaming! Don’t stress over the numbers. It takes time and dedication to build a community, so having a positive mindset helps a lot. Try your best not to be discouraged, because we all start off small at one point!

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?

Thanks to my very supportive boyfriend, best friends, family, and community, I’m able to stay motivated and focused on my goals. They are very supportive of me — and I’m also really lucky and grateful to have the connection of the community that I’ve created through streaming and gaming.