The Bishop Gorman Mock Trial team competed at the Mock Trial Southern Nevada Regional Competition on February 3rd.

Senior Ashley Mills, who won the “Best Attorney” award, gave advice to fellow debaters. “Confidence and preparation are what sets a person apart when competing. When you feel confident, and have the preparation to back yourself up, you are as ready and prepared as you can be. Without either one of these aspects, you aren’t as likely to succeed.”

In order to stay poised on competition day, Mills conveyed that she likes to have a coffee and look over her speeches while sitting down to calm herself.

In an interview, Mills recalled her first time debating three years ago before joining Bishop Gorman Mock Trial. “Growing up, I was always interested in the legal processes behind court cases. On the surface, you are handed a case packet and told to prepare a case, but the work behind it is what drew me to it. Being able to talk to people with similar interests, while working on something important to me is what makes this club so interesting.”

She stated that Mock Trial is a good fit for people who are willing to dedicate time to it and be open minded. However, she continued, “There is no set formula for who will be a good teammate.”

Mock Trial is something that can help in many aspects of one’s life while also looking great on college applications. “I can confidently say Mock Trial truly helps you with public speaking, and analyzing. We spend hours every day looking into the tiniest details – spending so much time on things so little helps you look at things closer in general. Combining this with the hours and hours spent rehearsing, it also makes you more confident in your speaking abilities.” 

Because of her skills learned throughout her experiences with debate and BGHS Mock Trial, Mills is one step ahead of all the other college applicants in her class. “Because of Mock Trial, I have learned skills in cooperation, analyzing, speaking, and more. When in the interview process, I am also able to extract the public speaking skills developed over the course of doing this extracurricular, and because of that, I am able to give a more full interview.”

Mock Trial is a great extracurricular that helps develop many necessary skills that are transferable to the real world. Any student interested in it should not be afraid to give it a shot, because it can make a big difference in not only your academic life, but your social life too.