Das aktuelle Telders Moot Court Team 2024

v.l.n.r. Christian Goldkuhle (Coach), Kateryna Prychta, Lucia Kowol, Lola Jais, Samir Syed

Kateryna Prychta (19) was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2021 Kateryna graduated from Taras Schewtschenkoschule, where she gained an in-depth knowledge of three foreign languages - English, German and French. Afterwards, she started her Bachelor Degree in Law at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv. Unfortunately, her study was interrupted by the unlawful invasion of Russian forces in Ukraine that forced Kateryna to leave her country and flee to Germany. She spent a year at Europa Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt Oder studying as an exchange student and polishing her German language skills to be able to start studying Law as a regular student in Germany. Kateryna is now in the 2nd semester of the Law program at the University of Cologne.

Since childhood, Kateryna was deeply affected by the injustices she could see around her and became interested in law studies. Her social and law classes in school only increased her sphere of interest, adding there international and international criminal law. That is why she decided to study Law at university. The war that is happening now in her home country was another factor that indicated the need to study Law (international law in particular) and the constant need to develop the international legal system.  

Kateryna had already participated in the Moot Court Competition on International Criminal Law while studying at her Ukrainian University in 2021. She gravely valued the experience she had and the knowledge of legal writing and research she gained during the preparation period, even though the participation of their team in the Competition itself became impossible because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Now Kateryna is looking forward to working in a team with other students of the University in Cologne. She strongly believes that it is a great opportunity not only to practice her legal English skills (both written and oral), but also to broaden her knowledge with Public International Law principles.

Mariana Kowol (20) was born and raised in Erfurt, where she graduated from the Albert Schweitzer Gymnasium in 2021. After graduation she enrolled at the University of Cologne to  study law. She is currently in her fifth semester. 

After taking law and social studies in school,she has been interested in politics and international  law. This interest is the main reason behind her decision to study law. 

Ever since she spent a few months going to school in Brazil, she has been very fond about  learning more about different languages and other cultures. 

This is why she is partaking in the University of Cologne´s CUSL program. She really enjoys  learning more about the US-American legal system and legal culture. This is especially  important to her since she aspires to obtain a LL.M. in International Public Law in the future. 

In her free time, she is a member of the Theodor Wonja Michael Library Cologne, a library  specialized in literature mainly written by and for Black People. She believes that learning more  about different cultures and reading diverse literature is an important tool for improving social  justice. 

Since last April she works as a student assistant at the Institute of Political Philosophy and Legal  Policy at the University of Cologne, where she can learn more about that field. 

Mariana is very excited to be part of this year’s Telders Moot Court team. She took acting  classes from an early age on and hopes that she can use those skills in the Competition. She  believes that the Moot Court will be a great opportunity to improve her written and rhetorical  legal skills. Finally, she is looking forward to face new challenges with her team members!

Samir Syed (24) was born in Düsseldorf and graduated from Humboldt Gymnasium in 2017. He has been enrolled at the University of Cologne since October 2017, pursuing a degree in law with a specialisation in I nternational and European L aw. Notably, he has passed the state examination in April 2023 . Furthermore , he has been a recipient of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation scholarship since January 2018.

Part of his educational journey led him to the prestigious University College London (UCL), where he completed an Erasmus study abroad program from September 2019 to July 2020. This experience highlights his commitment to international education and his wi llingness to learn across national boundaries. Samir has been deeply engaged in the field of international law prior to his participation in the Telders Moot Court. He has actively participated in various Model United Nations events, including the Cologne Model United Nations in June 2018 and the Cambridge University International Model United Nations (CUIMUN) in November 2018. In addition to his academic pursuits, Samir served as a class representative and student spokespersonat his school in Düsseldorf. At the University of Cologne, he was a member of the Student Parliament, project leader for the AStA and has been appointed to Semesterticket Office r and elected to the Senate of the University of Cologne in April 2023.

As a member of the Mooting team, Samir is confident that his results oriented approach would make a significant contribution to the continued success of our university’s participation in the competition. The Telders Moot Court presents an exclusive opportu nity for him to enhance his understanding of Public International Law by immersing himself deeply in specific legal matters . It also provides an excellent chance to refine his skills in oral presentation.

Lola Jais (21) grew up in Munich, where she graduated from Theresien Gymnasium in 2020. She is currently studying law at the University of Cologne in her fifth semester.

Her interest for languages and other countries was already sparked in school. She participated in an exchange programme to Italy and studied in New Zealand for five months. Broadening her language skills is still very important to her as she is currently learning Spanish in preparation for a semester abroad.

She discovered her political interest, as student environmental protests emerged and she became active in student representation and a student spokesperson. After her graduation she chose to do a federal volunteer service at a children´s rights NGO in Cologne. In that time, she decided to become a lawyer due to her wish for working toward social justice and her interest in international relations.

Lola´s internship at a law firm for anti-discrimination law and tenancy law in Berlin in 2023 reinforced her choice. While focusing on her legal studies, she still engaged in voluntary activities, like working with Ukrainian refugees and people who are homeless.

Because of her belief that most issues can be solved better on an international level she started working at the Institute of Air, Space and Cyber Law as a student assistant. There she could learn more about international and European law.

Last semester Lola participated in the Proteus Moot Court in European Law, where she particularly enjoyed pleading against the other parties in Brussels. This motivated to part in the Telders Moot Court Competition. She is excited to dive even deeper into a legal problem and further train her English writing and negotiation skills.