Meet Our 2026-2027 Officer Board
Our Officer Board
Texas A&M Mock Trial is led entirely by students. Behind every practice, tournament, trip, and team decision is a five-member officer board responsible for keeping the program running and moving forward.
The board’s role goes beyond administration. Officers help teach the case, prepare members for competition, coordinate team operations, and set the tone for the organization. Their leadership is grounded in the belief that Mock Trial should be both competitive and supportive.
Texas A&M Mock Trial is committed to building a team culture where members are challenged, respected, and encouraged to grow. The officer board works to make sure each competitor has the guidance and resources needed to succeed in the courtroom while also feeling valued as part of the broader team.
Through steady leadership and a shared commitment to the program, the board continues to strengthen Texas A&M Mock Trial’s legacy as a student-run organization built on excellence, mentorship, and community.
Jakob Zertuche
President
jakobzertuche@tamu.edu
"Texas A&M Mock Trial has been the most formative community of my college experience. After years of competing in theater and speech, I joined Mock Trial hoping to continue developing as a speaker, advocate, and competitor. What I found was far more meaningful: a community of talented, passionate, and driven students who pushed me to grow personally, professionally, and intellectually.
During my time in the organization, I have served as a competitor, team captain, Treasurer, and now President. Each role has shaped the way I understand leadership. As a captain, I learned that leadership is about setting a tone of trust, giving intentional feedback, empowering others, and helping teammates recognize their own potential. Last year, as Treasurer, I focused on strengthening the organization’s internal systems and making Texas A&M Mock Trial more accessible to all students. Through budgeting, reimbursements, travel planning, and resource management, I worked to ensure that members could focus on competing and growing without unnecessary financial or logistical barriers. That role taught me that organizational excellence requires both ambition and stewardship.
As President, I hope to help lead Texas A&M Mock Trial into another year of growth. My goals include retaining and developing our top talent, traveling to new tournaments, strengthening our professional systems, and building a culture rooted in care, equity, accountability, and competitive excellence. I want every member to feel that this organization is a place where they can thrive. Texas A&M Mock Trial has shaped who I am, and I am committed to building a program that continues to do the same for others."
Sam Kim
Vice President
samykim1128@tamu.edu
"The most important aspect of Texas A&M Mock Trial, and what makes us different from every other organization, is our ability to bring people together. It allows us to not only create an incredibly competitive team, but also nurture a greater sense of community everywhere we go. I've been in mock trial for nearly eight years. I've led all kinds of teams, played all kinds of roles, competed in all kinds of places, but I come back every year for one reason: to foster that community, that togetherness. My goal is to create an infrastructure that our organization can build on for years to come, one that allows members to reach their fullest potentials and make lifelong connections. I'm here to create an impact that will last. As Vice President, I have the additional privilege of leading one of our biggest community endeavors, the Lady Rev Classic Invitational. My role extends not just to fostering growth within our organization, but the greater Texas circuit as well. This year, I'm excited to create the best invitational tournament yet, and most importantly, to see how far our members can go!"
Sachit
Kapoor
Treasurer
sachitkapoor5@tamu.edu
"Texas A&M mock trial is where I can be me. From my first moment as a member, my entire college experience has been defined by the time I’ve spent with the amazing people that make up its members. Last year, I took home an All-Regional attorney award. A reflection, not just of the person the past two years have made me, but a of the people that mentored, supported, and encouraged me to reach such heights. The people that make up this community have helped me build upon the once shy person I was, and allowed me to emerge a confident public speaker, and dedicated legal student. As treasurer, I seek to not only cultivate more competitive development opportunities, but to ensure this organization can remain affordable. To ensure that all people are able to experience the joys, friendship and growth that come from membership in this team. Texas A&M mock trial is so much more than a student organization, it’s a real community, and it’s made me who I am today. I aim to help it do the same for others."
Alex Bastia
Secretary
abastia@tamu.edu
"This organization is unmatched in its impact on me at Texas A&M. Since joining, I have developed as a speaker, advocate, critical thinker thinker, and person in ways that I could have imagined when I was first accepted. Not only by the demands of this activity to communicate, think, and act in ways I never have before, but by the people around me who inspire me every day to be better than I was yesterday. What brought me to Texas A&M Mock Trial was my interest in law, but the tremendous transformation I have witnessed within myself is what keeps me coming back year over year. Last year, I had the incredible opportunity to compete with our organization's best members on A team at the national qualifier, ORCS. In doing so, I became intimately familiar with what makes and breaks teams at the highest level, how to learn the skills necessary to compete against them, and did so alongside some outstanding teammates. I am incredibly excited to teach everything I've learned to the next generation of members while also becoming just as close with them once again. As Secretary, I want to focus on accountability, communication, and competitiveness. This organization flourishes thanks to our amazing members, and keeping them engaged is what will continue that success. This organization and its people have made me who I am. I'm excited to give back to them, and to make this season the best Texas A&M Mock Trial has had yet."
Carter
Oates
Public Relations
cro24@tamu.edu
"Texas A&M Mock Trial is an organization that creates a deep sense of camaraderie within its members. I was initially interested in this organization because of its competitiveness, but what truly brought me in was the community I found.
Last year, I served as the both the only new member and lay member captain on a team made up entirely of other new members. It was a role that pushed me to learn not just the skills needed for Mock Trial, but any leadership position. Having to learn and mentor at the same time was an incredibly rewarding journey, and one that was made all the better by this organization.
As Public Relations Officer, I want to focus on developing the incredible community that I found here. This team has shaped who I am today, and I want to give back to the people that made that happen. I am excited for the next year to come, and all of the growth and learning opportunities that come with it."
Our Liaisons
saveli nosko
Nisha Murali
Fundraising Liaison - saveli20@tamu.edu
Texas A&M Mock Trial is an amazing organization to develop legal and public speaking skills while working with like-minded individuals. I joined because of my high school experience, but college mock trial has brought a new perspective and been extremely rewarding. Last year, I transitioned from a witness to an attorney. I really enjoyed developing those skills and want to push myself to grow them further. I also competed on a team with a variety of members, which helped me learn while building relationships with different people.
I look forward to enhancing my skills while serving as the Fundraising Liaison this upcoming year. In this role, I want to focus on developing connections within the Texas A&M community and enhancing our campus visibility to generate more funding.
DEIA Liaison - nisha_murali@tamu.edu
Moving 15 hours away to Texas A&M, I knew no one. Mock Trial gave me a home and my closest friends. My teammates made me more intellectually curious, empathetic, and passionate. This position is my way of giving back.
I've been on the team for four years, serving as DEI Liaison and captain last year. I’ve built strong relationships with all members and remain approachable. Mock Trial is a team first; we are most successful socially and competitively with a respectful, supportive dynamic.
As DEI Liaison, I ensure every member feels valued and intervene in interpersonal conflicts. This organization has been central to my college experience, and I'm excited for this year.