WCSU First All-Female Moot Court Qualifies for National Championship Tournament

You can’t argue with the success of WestConn’s first all-female Moot Court team to qualify for the American Moot Court Association’s National Championship Tournament

DANBURY, Connecticut — Grace Parkosewich and Julia Meadows, seniors at Western Connecticut State University, combined their research and oratory skills to succeed at the Eastern Regional Tournament of the American Moot Court Association (AMCA) last month. As the most successful of four WCSU teams that competed in the November 21-22 competition at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts, Parkosewich and Meadows will travel next month to the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in Memphis, Tennessee, to compete in the preliminary rounds of the AMCA National Championship Tournament (NCT).

Their mentor and coach, WCSU Associate Professor of Justice and Law Administration Thomas A. Miller, JD, likens this accomplishment to another high-profile collegiate tournament. “I cannot overstate the significance of this accomplishment,” Miller said. “The NCT is the moot court equivalent of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament. Like that tournament, the NCT is made up of four regional brackets that compete in different locations across the country.”

Parkosewich, of Seymour, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies. Meadows, from New Milford, will graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. Parkosewich is a member of the Wolves Softball Team; while Meadows is the Vice President of the university’s Western Marketing Association. Both students intend to take the LSAT with the goal of attending law school, and neither knew the other until they met last spring in one of Miller’s Moot Court classes.

Meadows explained that despite her Marketing focus, she had thought about the prospect of law school one day and wanted to test herself to see if law-related topics were truly of interest to her and if she could present a case the way a lawyer would. Conversely, Parkosewich saw Moot Court as a tool to help her break out of her shell by “going out on a limb” and stretching her comfort zone.

“I didn’t know anybody at that first meeting,” Parkosewich said, “But I fell in love with Professor Miller’s course and content, and being part of a team. Along the way, my competitive nature clicked in, and it’s been a really positive experience.”

Meadows, Parkosewich, and fellow Moot Court team members Yaritza Santana-Jimenez, Justin Shapiro, Gianna Ruby-DaSilva, Olivia Burroughs, Alexa Jones, and Minhee Mok, meet regularly with Miller to learn the process and develop their skills. Assisting them are brief writers, oralists, and volunteer coaches like alumni Vincent Trombetto and Nakita Singh. Also supporting the team is alumnus Mason Peragine, who was part of a team that secured a berth in the national championship tournament for WestConn’s Moot Court team in 2022.

Parkosewich and Meadows said they had both heard about the team’s success three years ago. Meadows said she found it inspiring that WCSU students could compete at that level against Ivy League and larger institutions. Parkosewich added, “Having someone like Mason who has succeeded like that and is coaching us now is a huge asset.”

On the eve of their first-round match against Holy Cross last month, Meadows said she was extremely nervous and couldn’t get through her argument, despite Parkosewich’s reassurances and encouragement. Miller said it brought him back to the 2022 tournament, when Peragine had a “bad practice,” yet surged ahead to earn a national berth. “It’s a pattern for us now,” Miller said. “A rough practice is good luck.”

Meadows and Parkosewich soundly defeated Holy Cross, the University of Connecticut and Framingham State University in the first three rounds of the Eastern Regional Tournament. “They won every ballot and every round,” Miller proudly stated. “Convincingly. It was not close.”

Reflecting on their success, Meadows said, “Professor Miller prepared us very well. Our practices were much harder than the actual competition. It strengthened my public speaking skills and built my confidence.” Parkosewich added that her main takeaway was learning to control what is within her control. “It’s based on the judges’ perception of you. Failure is okay because you can process it and get better.”

Of course, up to this point, the Meadows-Parkosewich team has not experienced much defeat.

Meadows said, “I’m slightly shocked we keep winning.” Parkosewich quickly said, “I’m not surprised.” Miller added, “I’m not surprised, either.”

Miller elaborated, “Winning is nice, but being with good people is better. Julia and Grace have a big sister-little sister relationship. I love their dynamic and the way their personalities mesh. Grace is a tough competitor; she’s edgy. We call her ‘The Winter Soldier.’ Julia is very knowledgeable and is the ice queen. They’re the best Gen Z has to offer. They lead from the top, pick others up, and never look down on people. They are what I want my daughter to grow up to be like. They’re just good people, and they do the right thing even when it’s not the easy thing. I’m so proud of our first all-female team to qualify for the NCT.”

Miller added that WestConn’s “superpower” is its culture. “The students we have, the time and emotional commitment that they put into this, makes it an honor to spend time with them, and it’s not surprising that this was WestConn Moot Court’s most successful year. We had four teams competing that had a shot, and all of them finished higher than UConn.”

Parkosewich and Meadows attributed much of their success to Miller. “He’s very encouraging and dedicated,” Meadows said. “He always lifts you up. He puts so much time into this, organizing everything and bringing in alumni.” Parkosewich agreed, and said, “He’s been such a remarkable mentor in my life. Not just as a professor, but as a person. He’s inspired me to work harder and do better. He gives us a positive mentality and work ethic.”

Both students expressed their belief that Miller has taken them to the next level. “By inspiring us to join Moot Court, he created this new version of us to be confident, strong women. He’s a strong man that believes in us,” they said.

Another benefit has been the relationship the students have developed with each other. “This experience has truly brought out a friendship with me and Julia,” Parkosewich said. “She’s someone I’ve gone through these hard things with.” Meadows added, “Grace always pushes me to expand upon my argument, and she always lifts me up.”

The students will have plenty of togetherness as they prepare for the next round of competition on January 24-25 in Memphis. Assuming they continue their win streak, their final stop will be at the University of Kentucky School of Law in Lexington, Kentucky, on February 21 and 22, for the final rounds.

The plan is to practice every weekday between now and then, which begs the question, “Are you getting sick of arguing the same thing over and over again yet?” Simultaneously, and with conviction, they both said “no.”

You can’t argue with that.

For more information, contact Thomas Miller at millert@wcsu.edu or pr@wcsu.edu.
To support WestConn’s Moot Court program, click here.