@Clabiella co-owns, manages, and coaches a VALORANT team called MocK GaminG! And, she also owns a small esports organization for development, which is being rebranded as Mezmerized Esports! But that’s not all! This JBL Quantum Grant winner is also pursuing her dreams by attending Shenandoah University where she’s in the esports management program.

What is your dream in gaming and/or esports? 

My dream is to either coach or manage a pro team or own a pro team.

How will this award from the 1,000 Dreams Fund help you reach your goals? 

It will help me pay some college loans, but it mainly helps me learn more and make connections to get even further in the esports industry!

What does being a 1,000 Dreams Fund – JBL Quantum Grant recipient mean to you? 

It means so much to me! The esports industry is my dream, so being able to have this experience is amazing! I’m so excited! The more I see this industry grow, the more my love for it grows! I’m so excited to start my journey in esports! I’m so thankful!

Women are underrepresented in gaming and esports. What can we do to change this? 

Colleges are adding esports management degrees, which is great, and high schools are also starting to add teams into their athletics, as well. So we can encourage women to get their names out there! There always other options, as well, like streaming or attending LANs [local area networks]!

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

I started gaming on a PC when I was 7, but I got more into streaming when I was 15. So, I’ve faced sexism in a variety of ways through the years — in comms and more. When I started streaming, people would come in just to insult me because I was a female.

I also started working for a small esports organization on Discord when I was 16. I managed four League of Legends teams and I was head of staff. In addition to the responsibility of managing, I also had to organize events. The real struggle was facing certain players and coaches who seemed to have a certain point of view on females. But, over time, you learn to overcome this and continue what you love doing!

What advice do you have for women who want to work in the gaming or esports industry? 

Just keep trying. The more you push and work for it, the closer you will get to where you want to be. Always strive to do what you love — whether it’s streaming, coaching, or managing. Keep pushing!

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals? 

I pursue competitive gaming myself while managing my own team I created. I balance the player life and coaching/managing life to keep my interest in each game. Along with that, I have added other activities because balancing a variety of things keeps me interested in what I do.