And then there were three Young Trustee hopefuls.
After a second set of interviews and deliberations, seniors Brandon Goodwin, Chris Kallmeyer and Hirsh Sandesara were named this year's Young Trustee undergraduate finalists, the selection committee announced Monday night.
"We spent two hours in Breedlove [Room] discussing the eight finalists. They're all three very, very strong candidates," said senior Logan Leinster, InterCommunity Council Chair and head of the Young Trustee Selection Committee. "All three have a pretty broad base of knowledge about the University, and all three displayed a lot of passion for the position."
Every year, one Young Trustee is selected by Duke Student Government to serve a three-year term on the University's Board of Trustees. The titles is considered to be one of the most prestigious for an undergraduate student. The new trustee will have full voting privileges for his latter two years on the board.
From the original thirteen applications received Jan. 13, the Young Trustee Selection Committee first narrowed the field to eight semi-finalists before the latest round of cuts.
Next week, finalists will be interviewed by the selection committee and the four committees that make up DSG's legislative body. DSG will select the finalist by secret ballot at its Feb. 15 meeting.
Goodwin said it seemed fitting that he should join Kallmeyer and Sandesara in the race for Young Trustee because he has known the other two since freshman year.
"It's amazing how Duke is such a small world," he said. Goodwin, DSG Executive Vice President and member of the Bench and Bar Association, plans to go to law school next year. If selected, Goodwin said his experience in law school will help flesh out his understanding of his alma mater.
"It's not an award, it's a position that somebody needs to take seriously because the position itself offers the opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to the Board of Trustees for a three-year term," Goodwin said.
All three candidates said they will spend the following days in preparation for the upcoming rounds of interviews.
"I'm looking forward to continuing the process along with two other really qualified people," Kallmeyer said. "I'll continue talking to different leaders around campus and former leaders about major issues."
Kallmeyer added that he has seen different aspects of the University through his participation in various campus organizations during the last four years. The outgoing president of the Duke Student Union, Kallmeyer has been a representative on East Campus Council and Campus Council. If selected as Young Trustee, he said he hopes to promote arts initiatives on campus and help with the designing of a new Central Campus.
The economics major will work in sales and trading in New York next year.
Sandesara, who is an active member of Diya and the Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarship program, said he is excited by the prospect of getting a broader perspective on the University.
"This is the greatest thing that any undergraduate can do at Duke," said Sandesara, who currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Medical Center Board. "I need to find it within myself to give Duke the best I have to offer."
Sandesara said he is interested in pursuing a career in health services or health consulting. Although he is currently in the process of interviewing for medical school, Sandesara said he is also considering a career in law.
"It's about offering a young perspective on a very diverse committee," Sandesara said. "The Board of Trustees deserves to know how students feel about this great place."
Saidi Chen contributed to this article.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.