As fellow scholar and blogger Megan Floyd noted below, recently six scholars led by McConnell Scholar Alumni Neil Salyer embarked on a journey to Tampa, Florida to participate in this year's American Collegiate Moot Court Association Southeast Regional Tournament. As a senior scholar, participating in my fourth and final regional moot court tournament was surreal, causing me to reflect upon the four years I have spent as a member of the Center's moot court team.
Moot Court has allotted me the opportunity to travel across our beautiful country (from Los Angeles to Miami), making memories and friends that will last a lifetime. But more importantly, each year, moot court presents a new set of constitutional problems that have allowed me to study our Constitution more in depth than I ever anticipated I would as an undergraduate. Thanks to Moot Court, I have a deeper understanding of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Amendments, to name a few, and thanks to this year, a greater understanding of the Commerce Clause, and the wide array of Supreme Court case law associated with these amendments.
Additionally, Moot Court taught me a valuable life skill -- recognizing the importance of the ability to see "both sides" to an argument. Being forced to argue for something I stood strongly opposed to (unreasonable 2nd Amendment Restrictions, the Affordable Healthcare Act of 2010, to name a few) allowed me to see the strengths and weaknesses of both arguments, and provided me the opportunity to both re-evaluate and, ultimately, further strengthen my own convictions.
It is nearly impossible to sum up the benefits I have had from being a participant in moot court in a short blog post, and I would highly encourage any scholar to consider participating in the valuable ELO in future years. Further, none of the benefits I have reaped or the success I have achieved as a member of the McConnell Center's moot court team would be possible without the leadership of Coach Neil Salyer, who has been a great teacher, mentor, and friend, nor without the generosity of the McConnell Center in giving us the opportunity to participate in such a rewarding extended learning opportunity.