The Showgirl's verdict: Who says I can't do both?

     As many know, I have been a “showgirl” my whole life. Chasing the dream of lights and stadiums, recording with the best producers in the country and creating music that connected uniquely with each listener has been what I chose to be on my obituary since I learned how to pick up a microphone. Lyrics would flow out of me at 14 years old like I was some grieving widow, and every time I stepped on a stage it felt like I belonged there. Each time since has felt like home, and the audience connecting with me while dancing, acting or singing, made me feel like my name was supposed to be on posters on the street. Like my doors were supposed to have a light up star and singing would be what I’d be known for, forever.

In my first article here on Crucial Evidence, I said that my dreams hadn’t changed, yet evolved. And this is what happened.

During my first semester I came in with a lot of questions. Choosing what I was going to major in felt impossible. I had never allowed myself to explore anything other than music, and even though I love music, I wasn’t sure if I felt safe pursuing it as a career. That first year I went in as an Arts and Entertainment Business major. However, singing had always been my passion, and I realized that even though the classes in my chosen major were interesting, I didn’t want to be behind the stage for the rest of my life. If I was going to pursue a career in the music industry, it would be center stage, not in the sidelines. So, for my second semester, I auditioned and got into the Music program, vocal focused. 

This new path felt more like me. I loved my classes and my professors, and fitting in stopped being an issue. However, I still found myself uncertain. I contemplated switching majors again, but for what? I wasn’t sure of what I wanted, and changing my major not being sure could only make my confusion worse. So I did my research. I started envisioning what my life could look like if I chased different careers, but I refused to go towards something I wasn’t passionate about. My father always taught me that it didn’t matter what I chose to do, as long as passion was driving me towards it. Consequently, I started diving deeper into what led me to my initial career path, what interests had I not explored to the fullest, and I found my new goal. Diving into interests I hadn’t yet sat down to envision myself in drove me towards a passion I had buried deep over fear and my high school laziness. I had always cared about justice, human rights, law and politics; but me? In law?It felt completely foreign. I didn't see anyone in my music classes talking about courtrooms, and I certainly didn't see lawyers on television talking about vocal health. It felt like standing between two completely different worlds, unsure if I could bridge the gap.

Well yes. It made all the sense. It joined together all my passions. Connecting with the people and giving them a chance to be heard. To speak for those who can’t, bring justice to the people and make the world a better place. If there is something that I am passionate about is eradicating injustice, and I would’ve never been able to act on that passion if I stayed with just music. So I chose what felt the most like me: both.

I am not giving up in my dreams as an artist, because it would mean giving up on something I believe in, and not being true to who I really am. However, without law my identity is incomplete. Because even though music is a big part of who I am, that desire for justice, helping the people of America and taking part in the big changes of the world is also who I am. Who says I can’t do both? In music, you train your voice to connect with an audience and make them feel a story. In the courtroom, a lawyer uses their voice to do the exact same thing—to connect, persuade, and fight for justice. Both paths are about taking center stage to advocate for a message. I decided to choose not just a part of me, but all of me. 

I stayed as a music major, as I need any bachelor’s degree to be able to apply to law school. However, I decided to add a minor in Pre-Law. This way, I will still be able to pursue one dream without dropping the other. This blog becomes not just a passion project, but a tool for me to keep growing skills I will need for law school. I merged my love for writing and telling stories with my passions, and it became what you read today. I also just started as an executive intern in Legally LSAT, an organization dedicated to make pre-law and LSAT resources more accessible and available for all. And to add on to it, of course, I started studying for the LSAT. Simultaneously, I have been working on my music career by taking a summer production course and writing everything and anything that comes to mind (as well as practicing my singing of course).

So if you’ve ever felt torn between different career paths or passions, just remember that the only one able to put you in a cage is yourself. You can choose all parts of you instead of just one, and with my journey I look to prove that. Not to the world, but to myself. Consider this article Exhibit A: proof that the showgirl is stepping into the courtroom, and she's bringing her voice with her. 

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This has been your author and expert witness;

Your girl, 

Jimena Valle