Hi! This is me!

Introducing the Expert Witness: 

..yes, it's me.

    Hello dear readers, and welcome to Crucial Evidence. A blog in which I will share my journey from being a sophomore in college majoring in Music, to hopefully an attorney practicing in New York City. My name is Jimena Valle Rivera, I am 18 years old (turning 19 on October 1st okay?), and I am a second year student (starting this August) in the University of the Sacred Heart in Santurce, Puerto Rico. 

    A young girl from Utuado, Puerto Rico trying to make a name for herself in the music industry has been who I am for as long as I can remember. And trust me, I am still that girl. However, with time, my interests and passions have not changed, yet evolved, and I found myself in a state of doubt and uncertainty regarding what my future would look like. 

    Back in high school, choosing what I would major in once I got to college seemed like the most important desition of my life, and the one I dreaded the most. I had always been a showgirl. Dance, music and theatre surrounded me my whole life, so I didn't really allow myself to explore other fields that could interest me as well. Choosing something outside arts felt almost like a betrayal to my soul, so I ended up where I am today. A music major focused on Vocal performance. 

    Growing up I had always been what they call an "academic weapon". Straight A's were a non-negotiable, and not to brag, but teachers loved my work. However, as the lazy high schooler that many of us were, going for a career that actually required trying hard and studying a lot didn't seem like something I would be interested in. This made me discard the idea of becoming a lawyer one day as soon as it came to mind.

    In my junior year of high school, our history teacher made us listen to an episode of the podcast The Daily by The New York Times weekly, and write both a summary of the episode and what our opinion was on the subject discussed in it. That exercise alone sparked a new interest in the current world's biggest issues, creating a magnifying glass on top of everything on the news. Government issues did not seem like old man talks anymore, but where those topics were spoken of were the kind of rooms I wanted to be seated at. When my english teacher started talking about Project 2025 and what could possibly happen sooner than later, I felt a spark in me wanting to do something to stop it. Something to help everyone affected. 

    That's where this dream started, even though I was not aware of it myself back then. When news on social media started being about unnecessary wars and people being deported out of stolen land. When hearts broke after the 2024 elections and rumors about it being stolen from the people started feeling true. When the country started forgetting that we all bleed red, my wish for doing something went further than sharing awareness posts on social media. It took some time to get the clear mind I have today of what I want my future to look like, but I am really proud of myself for the fact that I can say today what I'm working towards with full confidence. I decided I am ready to take on the challenge. I realized I can do more for the people than what I allowed myself to see. A hard career path? Yes, one of the hardest. But I decided that I deserve the chance to have my voice be heard just as everyone else's, and that if I can help those that aren't heard, I will not remain silent and sitting with my arms crossed. So today, I can say proudly that i will be an attorney one day, and that you'll be able to read all about my journey right here, on Crucial Evidence.

    If you want to join me into my journey from sophomore year of college to becoming the best attorney the United States of America has ever heard of, see today's topics from a young woman's point of view and everything in between, keep reading! 

This has been your author and expert witness.

Your girl, 

Jimena Valle