At Empire, we are dedicated to the idea that a student’s ability to succeed should not depend on their (or their school’s) financial circumstances. To further that commitment, we introduced a scholarship initiative in 2016 that awarded three need-based scholarships each year to qualifying schools. Earlier this month, we announced that Empire is substantially expanding its financial aid offerings, which you can read more about here.  I am writing today, however, to share the story of one of our incredible 2017 scholarship recipients, West High School, a public high school from Salt Lake City, Utah.   

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The backbone of West High School, and specifically its mock trial team, is its diversity and drive to succeed. Teacher-coach Lara Nava explains, “Diversity is what makes our school unique…West High students, and especially our mock trial students, know what it means to live and attend a school in the worst part of town.” Sixty-six percent of West High students are ethnic minorities, comprising of 44% Hispanics with the rest being African Americans, Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Fourteen percent of their students are refugees and 12% are Special Education students. Sixty percent of West High students live below the poverty level and 97% receive free and reduced lunch assistance, which is significantly higher than the Utah state average of 58%.

Notwithstanding the demographics and challenges West High students endure, these students strive for success. Most of West High’s mock trial team members will be the first in their families to graduate from high school. Team member Alfredo Barrera explains, “Mock trial and Empire are extremely important for me because this is where I meet other adults who become my role models and mentors, especially because in my family, I will be the first to graduate from high school and I don’t have anybody’s footsteps to follow.”

Practice day! The team gathers in the lobby of the Parc 55 Hotel.

West High’s mock trial team, who operates without any funding from their school or school district, struggled to find the necessary funding and access to develop the skills necessary to succeed in mock trial. Therefore, receiving the 2017 Empire scholarship allowed West High not only to compete in their first private invitational competition but allowed them to be the first team from Utah to compete at an Empire program.

Since competing at Empire, the school has gone from a fledgling mock trial program to one that has both the attention and support of the broader Utah legal community, and has become one of the school’s most popular extracurricular activities.

“Thanks to Empire, there’s now a real interest in mock trial–it has become one of the ‘cool’ things to do,” team member Nicole Andrade explained. “We’ve even had to add another team because we had so many interested students.” The surge in interest followed because of the team’s competition at Empire San Francisco in the fall of 2017. Initially, however, they almost didn’t apply, because they believed that it was financially out of the club’s reach.

“When we first saw the e-mail about the Empire competition, some of the students were really excited, but others were hesitant because of the potential expenses,” team captain Andreas Fierro explained. However, with the help of Empire’s scholarship, and the broader Utah community, they were able to turn their excitement into a life-changing experience.

“We had a chance to meet kids from across the world that we never would have had a chance to work with,” said Nicole Andrade, highlighting that she became friends with one of the Guest Witnesses that she collaborated with during the Competition. “Most of the students we worked with were super nice, and there was a mutual respect between the competitors.”

Student Ann Kim testifies at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

As the first school to attend an Empire competition from the state of Utah, they experienced both the pressure that came with attending an international competition, and the pride in representing Utah on an international stage. While the team admitted admitted to feeling a little intimidated at first, they emphasized that the excitement of representing their state and city, and the support of their teammates, made into an exciting experience.

“Empire is the one of the most unique experiences that I’ve ever had,” Andreas told me. “I say that with a lot of fervor, because state mock trial in Utah felt like it was just a competition. Empire was a place to make great connections with other teams, facing common challenges and trying to achieve common goals.”

Ed Wall, their supportive and ebullient attorney-coach, went even further. “In high school, there should be one amazing, truly positive growing experience that you can look back to, and say you’ve achieved something–you’ve grown. For these students, Empire Mock Trial was that experience.”

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The application to apply for a 2018 Empire Scholarship is June 1. The guidelines, criteria, and additional information about the application process can be found here.   

The happy group poses for a photo in downtown San Francisco.