The members of TJSL’s Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial team had a memorable experience this past weekend in Washington, D.C.
It began when they got off their plane at Reagan Airport and ran into U.S. Senator John McCain at the adjacent gate. They introduced themselves and posed for a picture with the former presidential candidate, whom the team’s faculty advisor Professor Randy Grossman said was friendly and gracious.
The PAD competition featured teams from across the U.S. Josh Hamlin 3L, Jessica Barber 3L, Rezwan Kahn 2L and Rikole Santin 2L were the TJSL team and were coached by Chelsey Guay 2L.
The PAD team also got a special behind-the-scenes tour of the U.S. Supreme Court, courtesy of Justice Antonin Scalia’s personal secretary. The students were photographed on the court’s spiral staircase which, the public never gets to see. But that’s not all!
“We were able to enter the Courtroom, sit in the chairs reserved for honored guests and stand at the podium before the judges' bench,” said Chelsey Guay.
As for the competition, TJSL’s team did not advance to the fourth round, but Professor Grossman is extremely proud of their performance. “They did really well,” Professor Grossman said. “They were impressive.”
“Our team performed very well,” said coach Chelsey Guay. “We put in a lot of time and hard work, and it definitely paid off. We faced some tough competition though. Bittersweetly, we didn't advance to the finals, but that allowed us to take some time to tour our Nation's Capital. In addition to the Supreme Court, we also toured the National Mall, saw the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.”
It’s a weekend none of them will probably ever forget.
“We got lucky with beautiful weather all weekend and had a really great time,” said Guay. “It was a great learning experience to participate in the Mock Trial Competition and to have the opportunity to travel to D.C. Our overall experience was fantastic!”