Jordan Kane is the President of Mock Trial here at KU. For those of you who don’t know what Mock Trial is; they are a student-run organization that “attends tournaments across the country simulating real trials acting as lawyers and witnesses.” The process of developing a case is rigorous and laying out and memorizing everything can be really difficult for some people, but this team of students does a wonderful job. If you know Jordan, you can tell why this is such a strong fit for her. Not only is she part of Mock Trial, but she has also been a Residence Assistant in Ellsworth Hall, a Hawk Week leader, a Desk Assistant, and has also worked at Boys and Girls Club. All of these components make her the perfect fit to be our Celebrity on Campus this week.
Jordan is a senior majoring in political science. During my talk with her, I had the opportunity to ask her what it was like to be a part of Mock Trial.
“It’s a lot of work. There was a bigger challenge this year because we’ve expanded to 25 people this year from 10 people. We also didn’t have a lot of structure this year nor did we have a lot of outreach.”
Photo of the Mock Trial team provided by Jordan Kane
“This year I’m excited to say that we now have three teams, a law school advisor, a website and even a cubicle. We now have recruitment and we hold scrimmages against other teams. I, along with other members of the board created a set of bylaws and a constitution to further our success.”
The Mock Trial team has been very successful this year winning many individual awards for their success.
With all this success with Mock Trial, I asked Jordan why she initially wanted to go into law.
“I enjoy the idea of advocating for people that can’t for themselves. Being an attorney requires a lot of analytical thinking and you have to have good skills to be successful. I ‘d like to think that those qualities are what I’m good at.”
Her love to help people is truly exemplified through the other organizations she was a part of. Through Boys and Girls Club, she was given a great perspective on children’s lives outside her own paradigm and difficulties others face. “This type of volunteering really opened my eyes to daily struggles of others opposed to how I got to grow up.” It made me understand that some children just need a stable adult in their life, outside of their family, to just be there for them; which in turn really made me passionate about my life.”
I asked her finally what advice she would give to underclassman. “I just say don’t be afraid to use the KU online resources. Don’t be afraid to look for opportunities. KU always has jobs open and organizations that anyone can be part of. There are going to be times when you don’t get the job you want, or you don’t get the grade that you were expecting. But that doesn’t have to keep you from moving forward and trying again.”
Jordan Kane is truly a humbling person, and I am honored to have her not only as my sister, but also as a role model.
Photo of the Mock Trial team provided by Jordan Kane