AMTA Student Advisory Board
Mission & Values
The Student Advisory Board is a collaborative, innovative, and diverse group of current student competitors who will provide the current student perspective on a variety of issues to the American Mock Trial Association Board of Directors.
The work of the Student Advisory Board will be guided by each student’s commitment to:
- Inclusivity: Contribute to a diverse and inclusive learning and competitive environment for student competitors.
- Participation: Provide a platform for students to advise the Board of Directors and for the Board of Directors to seek the input and ideas of current competitors.
- Transparency: Communicate openly with the Board of Directors, other members of the Student Advisory Board, and the greater mock trial community about the Student Advisory Board’s activities.
- Inventiveness: Collaborate with other members of the Student Advisory Board to find resources, technology, and other assets to aid the American Mock Trial Association in carrying out its mission.
- Advocacy: Recommend practical solutions.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities for students who serve on the Advisory Board include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Attending meetings regularly (approximately monthly).
- Engaging in regular chat conversations as needed.
- Respecting the space and others to facilitate a comfortable, open forum for discussion – people may share personal stories meant for the small group, or you may have access to information that isn’t publicly available yet. Be mindful of what information should be kept private and what you can share with others.
- Engaging in productive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented discussions.
- Representing AMTA externally among the mock trial and broader communities. The Student Advisory Board is an arm of AMTA, and representing the organization as a public, non-profit – its actions can have broad effects on the organization as a whole.
Selection Process
Students who intend to compete in the 2024-2025 mock trial season and have previously competed in at least one AMTA-hosted regional are invited to apply.
A subset of students who submit written applications will be selected to advance and will move on to a panel interview. Once panel interviews are complete, students who best demonstrate a commitment to the Student Advisory Board’s mission will be selected for a one-year appointment.
Students will be selected for an appointment to the Student Advisory Board based on an application and interview. AMTA believes in championing diversity – we will take care to ensure the selected students are diverse in their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and other personal characteristics consistent with AMTA’s commitment to diversity.
Students will be considered from every geographic region, and will include both student-run and coach-run programs, programs with varying degrees of institutional financial support, programs that are new to AMTA, and programs that have shown varied levels of competitiveness within AMTA. Students from any underrepresented group or program type are encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
The application for the 2024-2025 competition season is now available here.