NUI Mock Trial Team Among NJ Elite

Continuing a run of dominance in Central New Jersey over the last decade, the mock trial team at the Noor-Ul-Iman School on Route 1 in Monmouth Junction recently took third place in the entire state.

The top three state finish comes on the heels of NUI winning its third Middlesex County Championship in ten years after defeating North Brunswick High School in the County Finals held at the New Brunswick Court House in January.

"Every time we compete it's a different experience, so the kids always have to be ready," said coach Sufia Azmat. "The confidence the kids gain from doing this is amazing."

Mock trial competitions give schools one case to work on throughout the season, with each competition placing the teams either as prosecution or defense. The teams find out which side they represent right before the trial.

The constantly changing dynamic means the teams have to be prepared for either side of the argument. This year's case involved a dog owner suing a dog food company after his canine's death, claiming a faulty product.

"We prepare a certain way and you know what you're doing, but then another school might come up with a problem that you have to handle a whole different way," Azmat said. "One school argued that the EPA found fault with the product, so it does change every time we do it. So we learn and pick up some aspects from other schools. A lot of it has to do with poise and preparedness. It also matters how your team behaves as whole with courtroom decorum. These are real trial judges, so you may want to prove that a witness is lying, but you also want the jury to like you."

In round one of the regionals held at the New Jersey Law Center on Feb. 7, NUI defeated Mt. St. Mary of Somerset County, followed by a victory in round two over Mercer County champion Princeton Day School. 

In the Regional finals at the New Jersey Law Center on Feb. 27, NUI downed the Network of Independent Christian Home Educators (NICHE) of Burlington County to win the Central Jersey Championship. 

In the state semi-finals on March 18, NUI lost to former state champions West Morris Mendham High School, and Mainland Regional High School in Atlantic County. 

Azmat said the successful run will also help propel team members to future success in their chosen fields.

"Being on this team really builds self-confidence and public speaking ability," she said. "Some kids are so hesitant and nervous, but then they're up there talking to Supreme Court judges in a real courtroom. They learn so much about analysis, how to pick apart a case and how to ask questions while being calm and collected throughout."

The members of the NUI Mock Trial team are Ameena Soliman (captain and attorney); Hasnaa Esseghir (attorney); Aaminah B’hat, Maryam Rostoum, Iman Soliman, Ayesha Durrani, Salma Elkholy and Ayesha Qureshi (witnesses). The attorney coaches of the team are Norman Epting, Esq., and Ahmad Aboelezz, Esq. The teacher coaches are Sufia Azmat, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed and Aysha Azmat. 

While finishing tops in Central Jersey and Middlesex County was an accomplishment the team was proud of, their sights are still set on the big prize in the future.

"I'm so proud of the team for finishing third in the state," Azmat said. "We hope in the next few years to go on and win the state competition. But we're all so proud of everything this team accomplished."