Angelina

"Mock trial taught me to be assertive, especially in what I believe in."

By Students of NYC

January 12^th, 2024

“Mock trial — it’s basically playing dress-up and then going to a real courthouse. The case is very open-ended; There’s enough evidence in the case summary and affidavits that allows the case to go either way. The adrenaline is flowing. Once, when I was a lawyer, I was shaking. My co-lawyer had to hold my hand. The person who’s our judge is an actual judge. You can feel the courthouse — it’s so big and spacious. We are surrounded by people who have been studying law for years. It’s intimidating...but I love it. The closing statements are my favorite. At home before-hand, I do it a million times for my cat, who has no choice but to stay. Usually, I end up getting so loud that my family hears and then they come in to listen. I try to inject life into it and keep it a little funny. Our team is serious, but at the end of the day, we’re still teenagers. The best is when I’m performing at the trial and can see people hold in giggles in the courtroom.

In middle school, I was extroverted, but when the pandemic hit and we were confined inside our homes, I became more introverted. I started avoiding friends, calls. I didn’t even want to go to my graduation to pick up our diploma and yearbook. Mock trial changed that. It built my confidence, taught me how to project my voice. It allowed me to connect. The Angelina now is a lot more outgoing. Now, I have such a diverse group of friends. We are Cuban, Dominican-Haitian, Malaysian and Chinese, West Indian, we are Pakistani. I love learning about them all. It’s so cool to speak to somebody of a different culture and have them say, wait, how do you know that about my culture? Seeing that smile on their face, knowing that I made them feel included and created an inclusive environment is honestly the best thing.

I grew up in a family who all came from different places. A lot of half siblings, second cousins, stuff like that. Although we're all a family, we all look different from one another. My half sister, she's actually Indian, so we all have different cultures. It was hard growing up having all of our differences pointed out. Like, why does she look different than me? Why do people praise her for the fact that, oh, her hair is looser than mine? Or why do people think that my skin being lighter is better? All of the focus on differences, and not only in my family, but in the media and in schools. Even jokes that aren't meant to be offensive but still somehow are — it all felt like a roadblock to me while trying to plan my identity in a world where people don’t put an emphasis on being unique.

As humans, we're social creatures. One of the effects of being social is that we all see things in a different light. When people have different views from you, it’s important to respect it. Regardless of your feelings on it. You never know how that person adopted their mindset. You need to put yourself in their shoes and figure out why — why did they begin to think about that? It’s easier to judge than to reflect on someone’s situation. In this world, although we co-exist, people tend to let our differences drive us apart. And our differences should be celebrated; they should hold us together."