Article by Kaitlyn Messina ’23:
Several members of the Mock Trial Team attended the 2019 Eastern District of New York Justice Institute. The program, which is run by Judge Bianco of the Eastern District of New York, was amazing. The week-long program included presentations by a U.S. Marshal, a Secret Service Agent, a tour of a cell block, a presentation by ATF (where we met an ATF canine) and a mock trial competition. We also met FBI Special Agents as well as the District Attorney of Suffolk County, Tim Sini. We were also given the great honor of watching a Naturalization Ceremony.
Our team of four was made up of Brianna Campbell ’22, Isabel Connolly ’23, Reihanna Marrett ’23, and me. We competed in the Justice Institute’s Mock Trial Competition throughout the week. The competition involved a criminal hearing regarding a defendant’s Miranda rights. We were fortunate to have two excellent mentors, Michael Catapano and Kimberly Capuder ’14. Our team made the Championship Round and we ended up getting second place out of twenty-one teams! This was an amazing experience where we were given so many wonderful opportunities!