Krysta E. has loved creating content since she was 15 and making Minecraft videos with her high-school friends. Now, she streams as @krystalogy on Twitch, and this BroadcastHER Academy winner is continually inspired to do more and do better by the community that she’s grown and fostered.

What is your dream in esports and gaming?

I hope to become a full-time gaming content creator. I want to get to the point where I really can do this for the rest of my life with no other distractions. The community that I have grown over the years are people I want to continue making happy as long as I can!

What does being the BroadcastHER Academy winner, which includes a $1,000 grant and all-expense-paid visit to the HyperX Esports Arena to shadow, mean to you and how will it help you reach your goals?

The grant will help me upgrade my stream — or go to TwitchCon this year to meet up with my community, if it’s not cancelled. I am always trying to improve the quality of my content so that I can do my best for those who watch me! The trip to the esports arena means a lot to me, too. Although I have a dream to be a full-time content creator, I would also love to work in the gaming industry as a PR specialist or community manager to support my content creation. However, we don’t have many opportunities to get into that industry in Virginia, where I live. So being able to step foot into the industry and shadow people is an amazing opportunity!

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

Unfortunately, this is something that lies deep within misogynistic practices in the gaming community and industry. First, I believe we would have to be diligent about getting major companies and esports teams to work with women more and also highlight their female creators and female employees more. How do we get them to do this? Well, we need to shine a light on it and demand change. It has gotten better, but we are still facing under-representation and discrimination as females. We have to continue to not let people run us out with comments like “boobie streamers” or the voices that say we don’t belong. We must show them that we do belong.

What are you most inspired by when it comes to creating encouraging content for young women in gaming, broadcasting, and esports

I’ve had many girls in my community tell me that they are happy they not only found another girl who likes games but a woman of color. Not only are women suppressed in gaming, woman of color are even less seen. I want that to change; it has to change. There are so many women out there who want to create content but are scared because they don’t feel like they belong or that anyone would value them as they do Ninja or Shroud. But there are women who are just as good and we see them now breaking through. We have to show they can break through, no matter what gender or skin color.

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

Getting over the hate hurdle for being a woman AND a woman of color was hard, but not as hard as the objectification I get through my content. When people make derogatory comments about me, it irritates me. The feeling of putting my all towards something and having someone not even give it the time of day because they think I am streaming to date them is the most annoying thing to deal with. All those comments are something I had to learn to ignore and just ban, but getting to a place and a mindset where they didn’t affect me took some time.

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

Focus on your community. These are the people who will support you; these are the people who will uplift you. Getting past the first haters will always be hard, and be wary of those who are looking for more beyond your content. Never be afraid to ban someone who is making you or your community uncomfortable and never be afraid to stand up for yourself.

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?

It can be hard at times, when the numbers get to your head or you have a lot on your mind and you don’t want to do anything. The motivation can fade quickly, but this is a dream that I’ve had since I was 15. I actually stopped making content for a few months during my first year in college and that was the saddest I’ve been. Thinking about what my life would be like without content creation is what keeps me focused on making it work. This is truly what makes me happy. I don’t ever want to lose it, so I always keep pushing.