By Tvisha Garodia & Stuti Pemmaraju, Staff Writers
Caption: Moreau’s Mock Trial Team (from left to right): Samantha Komrowski, Stuti Pemmaraju, Grace Burrell, Tvisha Garodia, Sreehitha Banday, Braden Dougherty, Olivia Ritchie, Michael Guidero, Ariyaa Perez, Bryan Zhou, and Chidi Onwuemeka.
During the last week of September, Moreau’s acclaimed Mock Trial team visited Philadelphia and participated in the international Empire Mock Trial competition for the first time since 2019. The team performed commendably, placing highly and receiving consistently strong scores in every trial.
Only having one month in school to practice, the team jumped into preparation over the summer and built a rock-solid presentation for their case. After all their hard work, the team placed 12 out of 36, and senior Olivia Ritchie won the #1 Outstanding Attorney Award.
“At first, I didn’t expect it at all, so I went through a lot of shock,” Olivia remarked. “When they finally called my name, I couldn’t believe it and I immediately started crying tears of joy.”
In addition to the Empire Mock Trial Competition, Olivia has won several other Mock Trial awards during her time at Moreau. “Well, prior to Empire, I won the Best Prosecutor in the County award twice, and I won Best Prosecutor in the State during my junior year. I think that in terms of winning awards, what sets me apart is that I prioritize the tone of my voice when I am giving my speeches and arguments, and I adapt to the setting of the courtroom and improvise my arguments as needed.”
Alongside Olivia, fellow Mock Trialers, like senior Braden Dougherty, shared their favorite memories of the trip and the competition. “My favorite part of Empire was spending time with my friends Bryan, Stuti, and Sreehitha, and driving in the van and getting food with them. I feel like during this competition, we [the team] became a lot more close-knit and bonded a lot more than we have in other competitions.”
Junior Samantha Komrowski talked about the differences between Empire and state competitions. “The Empire Competition was different because we got a chance to go against teams from different states and countries, who had different experiences than us. I also got a lot of experience in my roles that I’m taking into the county season.”
The competition concluded with the team winning seven out of 12 ballots: a testament to the determination, work ethic, and effort every member contributed. Go Mock Trialers!
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