Learning to “Remain Authentically Yourself while Achieving Success” - Chloe Truong

Continuing the momentum from last month’s Moot Court Showcase, SVUDL students exercised their voices by arguing the same pretrial motion in front of judges of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County and the Superior Court of San Mateo County - but this time from inside the courtroom! On June 5th, students were hosted by Judge Julia Alloggiamento, where students were able to present the pretrial motions that they had been preparing over the past few months and then spoke with her about her experiences in law and in her personal life.

On June 12th, SVUDL students were hosted by Judge Lisa Novak and Judge Susan Greenberg of the Superior Court of San Mateo County.  Judge Greenberg even invited the students to see inside her chambers. 

Reflecting on the experience, rising Andrew Hill High School senior Suyash Sawant shared, “Moot Court was a really valuable experience for me because it taught me about how our legal system works. It also helped improve my speaking skills - for example, when I was making my arguments, I had to think about how I would say things and the way I would organize evidence.”

Robert Millan from Latino College Preparatory Academy shared, “This was one of the most unique experiences I’ve had.  I never thought that in my 4 years in high school I would be presenting an argument in front of a judge in a courtroom. I was certainly nervous, but I had fun nonetheless and I can’t wait to do it again next year!”

Rising Independence High School Senior, Chloe Truong, rounded out the student reflections by noting, “I really enjoyed the Moot Court experience this year. Applying skills we learn from debate, to argue about laws that impact real people is something incredibly valuable. I liked how engaged the judges were within the practice and how after the event, the judge spoke to us about her experience in law. I could tell that she loved what she did very much and that inspired me immensely. She demonstrated that to work in the justice system, you don't have to be so cookie cutter, and still remain authentically yourself while achieving success.”

Thank you to all of our hosts and partners at the Superior Court of Santa Clara County and the Superior Court of San Mateo County, and to the amazing volunteer lawyers who met with our students over the past few months to prepare for these courtroom proceedings!