In her campaign for Young Trustee, senior Anna Knight wants to emphasize her opportunity to bring a different perspective to the Board of Trustees—as both the first Panhellenic woman and the first engineer elected to the position.
Knight is currently president of the Engineering Student Government, after serving as vice president last year. She is involved in the Biomedical Engineering Society, dances for two separate dance teams and has worked as a Pratt Fellows Undergraduate researcher in the Duke Injury Biomechanics Lab, in addition to being a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. Knight hopes her breadth of experience will allow her to bring a fresh voice to the boardroom.
“For as long as the Young Trustee has been an elected position, there has never been an engineer elected, or a Panhellenic woman elected,” Knight wrote in an email Monday. “So I really think it's time for a new perspective on the Board.”
If elected Young Trustee, Knight's aims include increasing undergraduate research access, advancing online education programs and expanding the availability of the Women’s Center and Counseling and Psychological Services.
Senior Ray Li—who was a semifinalist for Young Trustee this year—said the qualities Knight brings to the board room are unmatched by the other candidates.
“Not only is she able to bring something to the table that no other candidate can, she is also refreshingly genuine, incredibly passionate and wholly understanding of Duke and its place in higher education,” Li said. “A fourth generation Duke, female engineer is not a candidate that comes forth often, and so this is not an opportunity that we as a diverse student body should take for granted.”
The only candidate in this year's race from outside of Duke Student Government, Knight is confident that her experience—particularly with regards to communication—would allow her to succeed as Young Trustee.
“I was a founding member of the Academic Action Committee, and I gained skills in negotiating with deans, faculty and board members on behalf of Pratt undergraduate students,” Knight noted.
Beyond the classroom, Knight seeks to address an area of education which Duke traditionally prides itself on—undergraduate research.
“As a STEM student and a current researcher, it's very important to me that we work at the Board level to preserve these undergraduate research positions, and so I would work to make sure that any student who wants to work in a paid undergraduate research position, as opposed to just as an independent study, has that option,” she wrote.
Knight has been offered a position in Duke’s Biomedical Engineering PhD program, meaning that she will likely remain on campus for the next five years. She views her longstanding relationship with Duke’s campus—especially in light of recent construction initiatives—as crucial in ensuring that the student body’s voice is heard.
Cameron Bass—an associate research professor of biomedical engineering who has worked with Knight since she was a sophomore—commended Knight for her responsibility and persistence.
“The first thing that comes to mind about Anna is leadership," Bass wrote. "She has been a leader in both ESG and in the Biomedical Engineering Society, but she has also been a leader in my laboratory, both leading scientific projects and leading other students in my lab."
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