Why MMT? -- Taking a Different Path

By Hackett Rascher, Class of 2025

“So, are you thinking about going to law school?” That’s a question that I get asked by so many people when I tell them I’m a member of Miami Mock Trial. It’s a totally fair question, but I always chuckle a bit when I’m asked and quickly respond with “no, I want to write and direct movies.” Well, wait a second, isn’t everyone in Mock Trial trying to become a lawyer? Sure, there are a lot of people in MMT for that reason, but there are also a good chunk of us who aren’t. 

I’m a rising senior here at Miami, and I’ve been studying English literature, creative writing, and film. In my time at Miami, I’ve written and produced a number of short films with the film department and last year I had the honor of directing the Capstone Pictures short film course at Miami. Wow Hackett, that’s incredible! Thanks random person! But now you’re probably wondering at this point, “why MMT?”

 I joined MMT in my sophomore year after meeting my RA, Ellis, who was in the program and strongly encouraged me to take a chance with it. So I applied just to see what would happen and now here I am going into my third and final year in the program. While I’ve learned a lot about the law, as someone who wants to enter a creative field, MMT has allowed me to use and expand my skills with writing and developing characters to create and perform some crazy roles during my time in the program. It’s really just as much a creative and performative effort as it is a legal one, which I’m really grateful for, but even more than that I’m grateful for the people. My “mock friends” as I colloquially refer to them as, are the people I ask to hang out with on the weekends or go study together during finals (I’ve even asked some of them to act in my short films). These friends I’ve met over the past two years are ones that I can certainly say will be lifelong friends, and to me, that’s the best part of being in MMT. Even though I’ll continue to chuckle when people ask me about law school, I’m glad I took this detour in my Miami career to experience MMT and I hope anyone considering it, whether you’re interested in law or not, does the same!