2018-19 Executive Board
President: Ethan Hudson
Ethan Hudson is a junior English major with a minor in Legal Policy. Ethan started doing Mock Trial in high school after encouragement from a classmate. He began as an expert witness and moved his way up a closing attorney spot the next year. Ethan helped Franklin High School reach state finals where they would eventually finish 2nd out of over 120 teams in the state in 2016. Ethan serves as an assistant coach for Catonsville High School Mock Trial and is now an opening attorney on the Defense for UMBC. He recently won his first attorney award as a freshman at the Charm City Classic co-hosted by UMBC and Stevenson University. He hopes this is the first of many and hopes to continue participating in Mock Trial for as long as possible.
Awards:
- Outstanding Attorney: Fordham University Sapientia et Doctrina IX, 2017
- Outstanding Attorney: Charm City Classic Mock Trial Invitational, 2017
Vice-President: Kaitlyn Kauffman
Kaitlyn Kauffman is a junior Sondheim Scholar majoring in Political Science and minoring in Legal Policy from Cumberland, MD. She fell in love with Mock Trial her sophomore year of high school and she has performed both as an attorney and a witness in the following years. Although unsure of how she wants to spend her time after receiving her undergraduate degree, she knows that she would like to have some involvement in either the legal field or in governmental operations. She spends her time outside of mock trial drinking coffee, or… probably doing more mock trial.
Awards:
- Outstanding Witness: Temple University Hooter Invitational, 2016
Treasurer: Justin Conner
Justin Connor is a junior majoring in Philosophy with an eventual goal of going to law school. Justin did Mock Trial all four years of high school and was actually planning on taking a break from it in college. But then Justin met members of the team and they were so inviting and encouraging that Justin decided to try out anyway and ended up making the team. College Mock Trial is almost a different ball game and if it wasn’t for the help of Justin’s teammates, Justin would have definitely gotten lost trying to figure out how to play. Justin hopes to be a friend and mentor to future Mockers, just as this year’s team members have been to him.
Secretary: Brandon Henry
Recruitment Chair: Sam Dhawan
Sam Dhawan is a senior at UMBC and is currently studying Financial Economics and Legal Policy. He plans to graduate from UMBC in 2019 and attend law school. Sam won a top attorney award at the Elizabethtown Blue Jay Invitational and became the first mocker at UMBC to earn a perfect 20 ranks as an attorney. Sam was also part of the first B team at UMBC to earn an ORCS bid (which took many, many, hours of hard work and dedication). Outside of Mock Trial and school work, Sam enjoys watching the Washington sports teams let him down year after year.
Awards:
- All-Region Witness: AMTA Stevenson Regional, 2018
- Outstanding Attorney: Elizabethtown College Blue Jay Invitational, 2016
Seniors
Lily Felber
Lily Felber is a senior who is double majoring in Political Science and Global Studies, with a minor in Arabic Language and Culture. After graduating in 2019, she’d like to join the Peace Corps, attend graduate school, and work in international relations or international human rights. She got involved in mock trial at the suggestion of her best friend, because of mock trial’s similarity to theater, and she completely fell in love with it. The best thing about mock trial for her is its collaborative aspect, in that it’s absolutely crucial for teammates to work together cohesively in order to perform well. She’s also found mock trial to be so helpful in terms of improving public speaking and communication skills. A few things she enjoys doing in her free time are playing piano, volunteering at a local animal shelter, and devouring books. She’s won two awards as a witness, but her impression of Edith Piaf singing the Imperial March from Star Wars has been tragically underappreciated.
Awards:
- All-Region Witness: AMTA Stevenson Regional, 2018
- Outstanding Witness: Georgetown University Hilltop Invitational, 2017
- All-Region Witness: AMTA Baltimore Regional, 2016
- Outstanding Witness: Charm City Classic Mock Trial Invitational, 2016
Nihir Nanavaty
Nihir Nanavaty is a senior at UMBC, studying Political Science, Music, and Legal Policy. Nihir hopes to graduate UMBC in May 2019. This is Nihir’s first season as a member of the mock trial team, but he has had experience with Mock Trial through high school competition. Outside of mock trial, Nihir is involved in music and theatre, and is a member of the Pre-Law society. Nihir has been studying Operatic singing for the past four and a half years with several private instructors in the area and at the University. Outside of school and extracurriculars, Nihir is an absolute diehard Washington Wizards, Washington Redskins, and Washington Nationals fanatic. Nihir hopes to one day use all these skills learned through mock trial and his time at UMBC and attend law school.
Awards:
- All-Region Attorney, 2018 Lancaster, PA Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS)
- Outstanding Witness: Charm City Classic Mock Trial Invitational, 2017
Juniors
Sophomores
Sydney Gaskins
Awards:
- All-Region Attorney: AMTA Stevenson Regional, 2018
- Outstanding Attorney: Cornell University Big Red Invitational Classic, 2018
- Outstanding Attorney: Rutgers University Scarlet Knight Invitational, 2017
Evan Kellner
Awards:
- Outstanding Witness: Cornell University Big Red Invitational Classic, 2018
Thomas Kiley
