The Panther Mock Trial team is off to a great start this year as the mock trial Regional tournaments have begun. The talented President of Panther Mock Trial Persia Naseri and the brilliant Vice President Amanda Rodriguez del Ray are excited to continue competing in mock trial competitions. The President and Vice President led two diverse teams of students known as the A-team and B-team through a series of fierce mock trial competitions. With the guidance of experienced mock trial coaches Eddie Holiday and Kioceaia Stenson, victory will surely be within Panther Mock Trial’s grasp. Eddie Holiday was a top-ranked advocate during his days as a student mock trial member. Kioceaia Stenson also competed in mock trials during her years as a student and is now the advisor of Panther Mock Trial. Both coaches are passionate about mock trials and their experiences with competing have guided the team to great success.
Last year, Panther Mock Trial competed at Arkansas, Houston, Florida State University, New York, & at the University of South Florida. The A-team’s first competition of the mock trial season took place in Houston. The team victoriously brought home four individual awards from the completion. They brought home trophies for having the best attorneys and the best witnesses. Since the team achieved second place, they also received a trophy for their placement in the competition. The B-team also had a monumental first competition of the season, since it was the B-team’s first time competing in a mock trial competition. The B-team competed in Arkansas against experienced mock-trail teams. Many students who participated in the B-team during that competition have never engaged in this type of contest. The members of the B-team also did not have the opportunity to prepare as much for this competition, due to how it was early in the school year. Although the B-team faced such overwhelming odds, the B-team successfully overcame its challenges and proceeded to remain undefeated during the first day of the competition. The B-team ended with a winning record of 5-3, which was an impressive record to begin a mock trial career. Recently, the Panther Mock Trial A-team has earned a bid to the American Mock Trial Association opening round championship series! A lot of hard work and dedication went into preparing for this year’s regionals. With the goal of reaching Nationals in mind, the team is confident in their ability to qualify since they have been consistently amongst the top sixteenth places in every competition for the past year.
There were many factors that helped Panther Mock Trial achieve such great success. Panther Mock Trial President Naseri attributes the team’s success to the dedication of their coaches. Coach Holiday and Stenson dedicate much of their time and effort to guiding the team to success. President Naseri also is grateful for the support Dean Juan Carlos Espinosa has provided to the team. Dean Espinosa cultivated an environment in which the members of the mock trial team were comfortable achieving their ambitions. The final person President Naseri wishes to express his gratitude is Kristen Corpion. Corpion founded Panther Mock Trial back in 2017 and has laid down the foundation for the team.
Besides competing in mock trials, Panther Mock Trial hopes to become more involved within the FIU community as well as to share its ideals and message with the rest of the university. Panther Mock Trial has a diverse student body and is open to any student currently attending FIU. Students only need to attend a meeting and show interest to join the mock trial club. Students interested in joining Panther Mock Trial may sign up using this website: https://www.panthermocktrial.org/join-pmt. This website also provides information about the program, events, and news. Feel free to reach out via email for more information at info@panthermocktrial.org or on Instagram at panthermocktrial. Panther Mock Trial is excited to take on any new challenges that come its way and is thrilled to continue on its journey to reach the mock trials National Championship Tournament.