This week’s Human Of Metea is Shreya Balaji. Balaji is a part of Metea Valley’s school spirit by participating in school events as an emcee. She also spends time being an intern at ESPN. Keep reading to see how she got these opportunities to get involved!

Can you describe what emcees do to encourage students to participate in events such as pep rallies?

emcees are more than just wearing black and gold overalls. We plan a lot of events for the school and put a lot of hard work into creating the themes for a lot of the games that go on for football, basketball, and other programs. Emcees create a positive school environment, and I think that after a year of COVID and not in person for school, our job is to bring that back to life.

How did you find a position as an intern at ESPN?

Funny story, I really loved ESPN and I found that they had a location, and I knew the fact that if I would just call them, they would not pick up to a random girl from Illinois, so I just walked in. I walked into their office and said ‘Hey, I am really interested’ and so they gave me their business card and it went from there.

How many other students are interning at ESPN?

There is kind of one for each sport, but I focus on basketball. Something I am trying there is to bring awareness to women in sports. A lot of the other interns are guys, but there are still some other girls there.

How do you manage your time with school and your other activities?

I still have not figured out the time management thing. I feel like I keep on learning, but it is just now that I know what my priorities are. If there is something I need to do for school, then I will prioritize that then maybe something that is club oriented.

What advice would you give other students for high school in general?

Honestly, just have fun. I am a senior, and I do not even remember one of my favorite high school memories. Just have fun, do not stress too much. It is four years of your life that you really want.

Hopefully, you enjoyed hearing about Balaji’s experiences with high school and extracurriculars. You can be the next Human Of Metea by filling out this form!