Adam Nettles was beyond excited when the executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party called him to ask if he would be a guest speaker for the 2016 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in New Orleans on Oct. 1.

Nettles is a senior political science major, captain of the mock trail team, President of the ULM College Democrats of America and member of the pre-law association. As no stranger to politics, Nettles said yes.

The Jefferson-Jackson dinner is a Louisiana State Democratic Party event where political enthusiasts come together to share their views about current issues.

The organizers knew him through the College Democrats and contacted him for the event.

“They knew about the work that we do here at ULM for the democratic campaigns, so they reached out to me to represent college Democrats.

They needed someone to represent the younger generation and youth,” Nettles said.

Nettles shared the stage with the Louisiana Governor John Bel-Edwards and senate candidates. Nettles spoke after everyone else, and a round of applause echoed as he rallied people to vote.

Nettles shared that the audience was excited to see someone younger talking. “That was a good reception for sure,” Nettles said.

Nettles’ experience with the mock trial team, which has won both regional and national competitions, helped get him noticed too.

Nettles has always been interested in law and politics since the age of 12.

As a fifth grade student, he was involved in the student council, and that got him interested in working in similar fields. He plans to go to law school after he graduates.

According to Nettles, the dinner and meeting state dignitaries was a great opportunity for both himself and ULM.

It showed how strong the Political Science department is.

“It shows that we are preparing students to do stuff like this.

At the end of the day, getting attention from everyone is obviously positive for the program and the university,” Nettles said.

Nettles loves competing, which makes him a natural at mock trial, and this builds up his speaking skills. It also grows his pride for ULM.

Nettles enjoys going to other schools and showing them what his school is good at, especially since the ULM teams perform above expectations even with limited funds.

“We have beaten schools that have multi-million dollar budgets. We are a very strong team and competitive nationally.

This is one of the best decisions I have made in college,” Nettles said.

Nettles is captain of the Gold Team, one of the three mock trail teams at ULM, and is responsible for training.

Olivia Sage, a senior political science major and friend of Nettles both on and off the Gold Team, said that he is a “100% natural born leader.”

“He is a kind of person that you know will go far,” Sage said.

She further expressed that the leadership skills he articulates makes him stand out in the crowd, and said that he’s the type of person you want to get to know.

However, Nettles says that there is no formula for success, and that you have to be “willing to work” in everything you do.