Members of Duke Diya, the South Asian Students Association, had the opportunity to talk with the four Young Trustee candidates recently, and we are excited to formally endorse Uzoma Ayogu. All four candidates are highly qualified for the position and show a true commitment to making Duke a better place.
Anya Ranganathan demonstrated a wide array of diverse experiences such as being President of the Duke Panhellenic Association, advocating for victims of sexual assault, and developing a startup, to name a few, that have given her a multifaceted perspective on Duke, which would be useful in representing the student experience on the Board.
Steven Soto demonstrated a keen eye for identifying unmet needs at Duke by helping establish a new pre-orientation program focused on the arts, working on the new Washington Duke Scholars program for first-generation students, and bringing together minority groups to work on collaborative initiatives.
Tanner Lockhead emphasized his focus on strengthening the relationship between Duke and Durham and cited his experiences growing up in Durham as a perspective that was lacking on the Board of Trustees. His prior experience on the Institutional Advancement committee of the Board was also impressive.
Uzoma Ayogu displayed an effortless charisma that has allowed him to connect with many students, faculty, and administrators at Duke along with an appreciation of diversity as a top priority. He emphasized the importance of understanding policies in practice, not just on paper, and he has an extensive network to reach out to in order to get students’ opinions on how Board decisions will affect them. For all these reasons, we believe that Ayogu will be the most effective Young Trustee, and we are confident in his ability to advocate for the interests of Duke students and make his voice heard
Signed:
Shalini Subbarao, T'17, and Jemi Galani, T'17
Co-Presidents of Duke Diya
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