Competing on the Mock Trial Team
After spending all of my high school years dedicated to speech and debate, I decided I wanted to try something new in college. Mock Trial had always piqued my interest, and I thought it would be a good way to test how comfortable I would be applying my debate skills to the law. Applying to the team was the most stressful thing I had done since coming to the UW; I wanted to get on the team so badly, but they were only seeking to accept five of the fifty or so applicants. Now that I'm on the team, it's one of the most fun aspects of my college experience. Not only do I get to practice "being a lawyer," and work on my argumentation, but I'm also working with a closely-knit, family-like group of students who all share a passion for the law and for this activity.
After spending all of my high school years dedicated to speech and debate, I decided I wanted to try something new in college. Mock Trial had always piqued my interest, and I thought it would be a good way to test how comfortable I would be applying my debate skills to the law. Applying to the team was the most stressful thing I had done since coming to the UW; I wanted to get on the team so badly, but they were only seeking to accept five of the fifty or so applicants. Now that I'm on the team, it's one of the most fun aspects of my college experience. Not only do I get to practice "being a lawyer," and work on my argumentation, but I'm also working with a closely-knit, family-like group of students who all share a passion for the law and for this activity.
Winter Quarter, 2018: Mock Trial Captain
As Fall Quarter drew to a close, I was chosen to be a captain of UW's B Mock Trial team. Being a captain of a collegiate team was a totally different experience than doing it at a high school level, especially because I was definitely the youngest on UW's team and was a first-year competitor. As such, I was a little uncomfortable with leading my older and more experienced peers. However, after about a week of testing the waters, everything seemed to settle in and my new role didn't feel awkward. My co-captain and I valued teamwork and team spirit, and as such, I think our team was really closely knit, before and after our larger competitions. And because we worked well together, I think we worked well generally -- we were a highly successful team and a real threat in the court room. I think that through this process of leadership, I got a lot closer with my teammates and learned a lot about effective strategies to develop charisma while at the same time ensuring work got done.
As Fall Quarter drew to a close, I was chosen to be a captain of UW's B Mock Trial team. Being a captain of a collegiate team was a totally different experience than doing it at a high school level, especially because I was definitely the youngest on UW's team and was a first-year competitor. As such, I was a little uncomfortable with leading my older and more experienced peers. However, after about a week of testing the waters, everything seemed to settle in and my new role didn't feel awkward. My co-captain and I valued teamwork and team spirit, and as such, I think our team was really closely knit, before and after our larger competitions. And because we worked well together, I think we worked well generally -- we were a highly successful team and a real threat in the court room. I think that through this process of leadership, I got a lot closer with my teammates and learned a lot about effective strategies to develop charisma while at the same time ensuring work got done.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: Autumn Quarter, 2018: Mock Trial Tournament Coordinator
Last Spring, I was elected to be the Tournament Coordinator for UWMT. This experience involved planning two tournaments in the 2018-2019 school year: one in December and one in February. I decided to choose planning the December tournament as my first experiential learning experience for the Honors Program. Below are excerpts from my application.
Last Spring, I was elected to be the Tournament Coordinator for UWMT. This experience involved planning two tournaments in the 2018-2019 school year: one in December and one in February. I decided to choose planning the December tournament as my first experiential learning experience for the Honors Program. Below are excerpts from my application.
My Application
Every year, the UW Mock Trial (UWMT) hosts an invitational tournament in December, known as ECO; one competitor on the team is elected as the Tournament Director, and is responsible for organizing ECO. As Tournament Director, I am and will continue to reach out to colleges across the nation with invites, monitor payment transactions, gather qualified judges, and coordinate the inner workings of ECO. I will also be attending and contributing to UWMT's executive board meetings, where we will be making decisions for the team. Expectations are that the tournament will run smoothly, we will have enough judges, and that competitors get the best experience possible.
Putting together an invitational tournament requires collaboration. Already, I have begun to exchange dozens of emails with other schools and people within UW (like the venue, the Law School) to make sure everyone is on the same page. As a leader, I will also be responsible for taking the "vision" -- or the intended outcome of ECO (healthy, good-natured, and competitive mock trial practice before regionals) and ensuring that we follow through. Even though the tournament is way off in December, it is a fairly large commitment; work began in late August and will continue right up until the day of ECO itself. Responsibilities like finding highly-qualified judges will take perseverance and advocacy, both of which I intend to bring to the table.
Mock Trial is one of my favorite aspects of UW, and when officer elections took place last year, I was excited to apply to be on the Executive Board. Organizing tournaments is similar to work I've done in high school when I helped organize a TedTalk event and speech and debate tournaments. From this experience, I hope to get to develop as a leader and become a more self-confident and assertive individual. I also hope to gain awareness about the inner workings of mock trial as a national extracurricular -- and ultimately learn more about it. Finally, I hope that through my time on the executive board, I will get to bond more with the other members of the team.
Last year, I took Law 100, which featured a survey on trial procedure. I've also taken various philosophy and history classes that touch on the origins of US law and ethics. While none of these classes focused on the "leadership" aspect of mock trial, this activity does highlight some of my broader education goals. Organization, proactivity, and advocacy are all essential to practicing law. These are skills that are also inherent in organizing a successful tournament. Furthermore, the activity itself -- mock trial -- is also introducing me to such a career, whether it's through learning the Rules of Evidence or simply refining hand gestures or posture.
The success of ECO is a reflection of UWMT. Since we'll be hosting regionals this year again (which I will be organizing in February), teams in the area will be seeking to get some practice in Seattle to prepare. If ECO is a success this year, it is more likely that teams will want to return in subsequent years, and that means we can not only get more funding as a program, but also more recognition. The smoother ECO runs, the more positively it will affect UWMT, both as a program and for the individual competitors looking to get some great practice out of that weekend.
My Reflection
As I predicted earlier on in the quarter, completing this project helped develop my leadership and persuasive skills. A large part of planning this tournament was judge recruitment, which required me to step outside of my comfort zone by asking people for favors (i.e. judging at the tournament). Something that I mentioned in my application was that I hoped this experience would give me a chance to get to know my teammates a little better. I'd say that it did -- but not in the way I expected. While competing on the team normally, I tend to be more introverted. I don't really speak up much and although I do attend practice, I wouldn't say that I have too much of a presence. However, after planning the tournament -- and getting to speak at opening/closing ceremonies, I felt like I was stepping out of the shadows.
Completing this project makes me feel especially prepared for the next tournament that I have to plan: regionals. Now that I've recruited judges and collaborated with other teams, I know how to do it again. On a more basic level, I also learned how to use some of the technology that our team typically uses for things like judge recruitment. For example, we use this website called MailChimp to send out nice-looking invitations, and I definitely found this website tricky to use at first. However, after a little bit of time, I figured out how to use it and I know that I'm prepared for regionals, at least in this way.
At the beginning of our tournament, Professor Bailey from the UW Law School gave the competitors a brief welcome speech. He stressed the importance of civic engagement and public service, as well how important eloquent and well-thought-out speaking is. His words definitely resonated with me and reminded me that despite how stressful mock trial can be at times, it holds a place of enormous value in my life. Sometimes, trying to justify to my friends and family why I spend my Saturdays and Sundays dressed up in a suit pretending to be a lawyer can be a tricky and introspective process, but after running this tournament and reflecting on Professor Bailey's words, it became evident to me why I do what I do. I plan to continue competing on the team for the rest of my undergraduate time at the UW, and potentially continuing to run tournaments in the future. This is an activity that I enjoy with all my heart, and I know that it will continue to push and nurture me as long as I continue to work hard.
As I predicted earlier on in the quarter, completing this project helped develop my leadership and persuasive skills. A large part of planning this tournament was judge recruitment, which required me to step outside of my comfort zone by asking people for favors (i.e. judging at the tournament). Something that I mentioned in my application was that I hoped this experience would give me a chance to get to know my teammates a little better. I'd say that it did -- but not in the way I expected. While competing on the team normally, I tend to be more introverted. I don't really speak up much and although I do attend practice, I wouldn't say that I have too much of a presence. However, after planning the tournament -- and getting to speak at opening/closing ceremonies, I felt like I was stepping out of the shadows.
Completing this project makes me feel especially prepared for the next tournament that I have to plan: regionals. Now that I've recruited judges and collaborated with other teams, I know how to do it again. On a more basic level, I also learned how to use some of the technology that our team typically uses for things like judge recruitment. For example, we use this website called MailChimp to send out nice-looking invitations, and I definitely found this website tricky to use at first. However, after a little bit of time, I figured out how to use it and I know that I'm prepared for regionals, at least in this way.
At the beginning of our tournament, Professor Bailey from the UW Law School gave the competitors a brief welcome speech. He stressed the importance of civic engagement and public service, as well how important eloquent and well-thought-out speaking is. His words definitely resonated with me and reminded me that despite how stressful mock trial can be at times, it holds a place of enormous value in my life. Sometimes, trying to justify to my friends and family why I spend my Saturdays and Sundays dressed up in a suit pretending to be a lawyer can be a tricky and introspective process, but after running this tournament and reflecting on Professor Bailey's words, it became evident to me why I do what I do. I plan to continue competing on the team for the rest of my undergraduate time at the UW, and potentially continuing to run tournaments in the future. This is an activity that I enjoy with all my heart, and I know that it will continue to push and nurture me as long as I continue to work hard.
2019-2020: my final year on the team
My final year on the team was definitely one to remember. While I elected not to run for a formal leadership position, I was now one of the three most senior members of the team, and was inherently a mentor for some of our newer competitors. Specifically, as someone with two full years of experience and insight into what a competition looks like, I found myself opening up to editing other people's work, critiquing their speeches, and feeling qualified to voice my opinion more frequently. I also got to try out a new role as a closing attorney, which forced me to step outside of my normal comfort zone and engage with public speaking skills that I will definitely use as a real attorney. While my role in mock trial as both a senior member and a competitor on our A team provided a substantial share of stress and anxiety (especially leading up to tournaments), it was, as always, a rewarding experience and one that I will miss immensely.
My final year on the team was definitely one to remember. While I elected not to run for a formal leadership position, I was now one of the three most senior members of the team, and was inherently a mentor for some of our newer competitors. Specifically, as someone with two full years of experience and insight into what a competition looks like, I found myself opening up to editing other people's work, critiquing their speeches, and feeling qualified to voice my opinion more frequently. I also got to try out a new role as a closing attorney, which forced me to step outside of my normal comfort zone and engage with public speaking skills that I will definitely use as a real attorney. While my role in mock trial as both a senior member and a competitor on our A team provided a substantial share of stress and anxiety (especially leading up to tournaments), it was, as always, a rewarding experience and one that I will miss immensely.