It was September 2022 when Sueli Brodin kindly introduced me to Maria Vatista as I was looking for volunteering opportunities at the United World College Maastricht. An in-person-meeting and a cup of coffee later (of what was once known as The Student Hotel), Maria and I started scheming assortment of ideas together. Later that week, she introduced me to Aidan Hollinger-Miles, a high school Junior at UWC, who was bursting with fireworks full of ideas and infectious energy. Following these introductions, I started visiting UWC frequently to meet up with Maria, Aidan, and his group, colloquially referred to as the Justice Club (although our WhatsApp group was more modestly called “Law Stuff”, but I digress). The Club organized a mock trial at the UWC in 2023, but Aidan - for his Senior year - wanted something even bigger and better. This was when the idea of doing a mock trial with the support of UM students and staff popped up.
Just last week (almost a year and a half after our initial cup of coffee together), we organized the mock trial of Nicholson v. The Chronicle Tides, a manifestation of Aidan’s vision, brought to life by Maria, the extremely competent and dedicated organization team from the Justice Club, other UWC students (serving as judges, jury members, lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs, etc.), and UM students mentoring, guiding, and organizing the event.
The event, if I may say so myself, was an absolutely success. The UWC students were extremely engaged and very enthusiastic. Behind the scenes, Maria and the UM volunteers were greasing the wheels to make sure that everything went smoothly and accordingly (even running a “dress rehearsal” weeks prior to the main event to perfect - not only the substantive elements of the mock trial - but also the theatrical aspect of it all, from the lighting to the presentation of the exhibits on the big screen). We really couldn’t have asked for any better (even the catering from King George was insanely delicious).
Of course I am extremely grateful to Aidan, Maria, and the organization team as this would not have happened without them, but I would be remised if I did not give a specific shout out to the UM volunteers, who invested a lot of time and effort (even sacrificing their time to draft the IBL memorandum and exam prep) to be a part of this event. Ana, David, George, Leanne, Rozer, Sarah, Sreyas, and Ziya, thank you, thank you, and thank you!
As they say, there is no rest for the wicked, and so we now on to the next event, TEDxUWC Maastricht, where I’m hoping to loop Yama Saraj into this mix. It’s all about connecting good people, building a community together, and making an impact where we can, one small step at a time. I love this part of my job!!