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| Waldner in the courtroom for CU-Boulder Mock Trial |
This summer, Hannah Waldner (IAFS 鈥�16) took on the courtroom. Her internship placed her at the 鈥攁n opportunity that arose during a tour of the District Attorney's Office. District Attorney Stan Garnett offered her an internship on the spot.
Waldner found herself observing cases ranging from bond hearings to murder charges, and standing face-to-face with convicted criminals alongside her mentors. But more than learning about the courtroom and legal system, the summer internship gave Waldner insight on the confidence it takes to be part of the legal system.
Waldner got her first taste of law when she joined Mock Trial in high school. She and fellow students engaged in a competitive trial simulation, playing the roles of lawyers and witnesses. 鈥淢ock Trial not only inspired me to pursue a career path in law, but it helped me build my public speaking skills, and my overall confidence,鈥� shares Waldner. 鈥淚 would watch lawyers command the attention of people in a courtroom, and execute critical thinking skills in only a matter of seconds. It was impressive.鈥�
A pivotal moment in her internship involved new evidence for a big shooting-murder case from 2014 set to go to trial soon. She and other members of the prosecuting team assembled together for over nine hours, pouring over every detail of surveillance footage. Waldner appreciated how everyone came together in hopes of finding crucial evidence.
After high school, Waldner took a gap year to learn and travel in Ecuador, Denmark, and throughout Europe. Inspired by her travels, she pursued international law as an International Affairs and Economics student at CU-Boulder. As a leader with student organization, Waldner traveled to other colleges and competed with her team. Back at the District Attorney鈥檚 Office in the Boulder County Court, she was able to see mock court cases come to life.
The summer internship gave Waldner the fuel to power through her final year towards her future path. After graduation, she plans to strengthen her Spanish language skills by teaching English in South America, an ultimately return to the United States to pursue law school. 鈥淭his internship allowed me to compare and contrast real cases with my Mock Trial experiences, and I am confident I will make it as a lawyer someday.鈥� says Waldner.聽