Khandi Wright is only a junior at Illinois State, but this pre-law student already knows her way around a courtroom. Wright came to the University on a Mock Trial Scholarship and is a co-captain of this year’s mock trial team in the Department of Politics and Government.
Wright acted as a plaintiff’s attorney in a civil case that the team presented at the 13th annual Illinois State Invitational Mock Trial Tournament, held November 14–16 at the McLean County Law and Justice Center. She helped lead Illinois State to a 6–2 record and a seventh-place finish in the 32-team event.
During her career at Illinois State, the mock trial team has lived up to its stellar reputation by competing at the National Championship Tournament in 2013 and by beating Ivy League heavyweights Princeton and Harvard last season. This season the team has been invited to compete at Stanford University.
“I love the competiveness of it,” Wright said. “I love how you get to be in the courtroom. You get to litigate like a real attorney. It’s a lot of real-world experience, and for anybody who wants to be an attorney, it’s really good for law school as well.”
Watch the video above to learn more about the mock trial team and how it prepares Illinois State students like Wright for a legal career and more.
Bob Tomaski can be reached at rdtomas@IllinoisState.edu. Kevin Bersett can be reached at kdberse@IllinoisState.edu.’
