EIANNE Ladao, a 12-year-old freshman student of Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr.-Sr. High School, was this year’s youngest mock trial participant.
“The mock trial comes with a lot of work,” she told Variety. “It’s pretty stressful because you had to do your school work and everything else in your everyday life on top of the practices for the competition.”
But it was all worth it, she added, “for the experience and everything that I learned from it.”
Ladao, who played the role of a witness in the mock trial, skipped second and sixth grades in elementary school at Eskuelan San Francisco De Borja on Rota.
Asked whether her young age made her nervous when competing with much older students, Ladao said, “To be honest, I never really thought of it that way. I was just surrounded by other students with the same maturity level, and I was fine with that.”
Ladao said she has not made up her mind yet about her future career. “Right now, I enjoy art, drawing,” she added.
For the third consecutive year, Marianas High School won the mock trial competition and will represent the CNMI at the national competition in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 18-20, 2023.
Commissioner of Education Alfred Ada, in his remarks during the awards ceremony, said, “These past two days, we have witnessed their hard work, determination, and advanced knowledge and skills in the legal system. Students, I am so proud of the ethics, discipline, and expertise you have displayed. Continue to shine in the work that you do, and give yourselves the credit you deserve for going above and beyond normal expectations.”
Eianne Ladao
