Nine Young Trustee semifinalists selected

The Young Trustee Nominating Committee has selected nine semifinalists.

The semifinalists—all but one of whom are seniors—form the pool from which two to four Young Trustee finalists will be chosen by the committee. The semifinalists are junior Aditya Khurana and seniors Jamal Edwards, Tyler Nelson, Natalie Ritchie, Wills Rooney, Max Schreiber, Jay Sullivan, Anshu Vipparla and Emma Welch.

“This year we had one of the most competitive and diverse slates of Young Trustee candidates,” wrote YTNC chair Annie Adair, a junior and chief of staff of Duke Student Government, in an email. “Our applicants come from all walks of campus life and present a breadth of experiences and leadership that is unprecedented.”

Students selected as semifinalists include a varsity athlete, a former president of the Black Student Alliance and the presidents of both the Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council.

Several changes were made this year to the nominating process with the intention of making it less dependent on DSG. This year, rather than a DSG committee creating the YTNC, the committee was chosen by DSG president Keizra Mecklai, a senior, and Richard Riddell, vice president and University secretary, after they reviewed student applications.

Additionally, the committee underwent bias training and a briefing from Riddell about the role of the Young Trustee.

Only two members of the YTNC are currently or were previously associated with DSG, and only one Young Trustee semifinalist—Jay Sullivan, senator for equity and outreach—is currently associated with DSG.

This weekend, the YTNC will interview the nine semifinalists and select two to four finalists to face election for Young Trustee, who will serve as a voting member of the Board of Trustees. The Young Trustee will be elected by the student body on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Senior Natalie Ritchie is pursuing a major in public policy with minors in global health and Arabic literature. She is the executive producer of the Me Too Monologues and the editor-in-chief of the Duke Political Review.

Senior Wills Rooney is a Program II major studying markets, society and personalism. He is a George J. Mitchell Scholar, a varsity track athlete, a member of The Chronicle editorial board and an active member of the Duke Catholic Center.

Max Schreiber is a senior studying electrical and computer engineering. Schreiber is the current president of the Interfraternity Council, a former member of DSG and a columnist for The Chronicle.

Jay Sullivan, a senior, is studying public policy with a minor in environmental science and policy and a certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship. He is the current DSG Senator for Equity and Outreach, co-founder of the You Don't Say? Campaign and a columnist for The Chronicle. Sullivan was also the chair of the YTNC last year.

Senior Anshu Vipparla is majoring in global health and neuroscience with a minor in chemistry. She is the president of duArts, a member of the Freshman Advisory Council Board and the former president of Duke Diya. 

Emma Welch, a senior, is studying public policy and minoring in evolutionary anthropology. Welch is the president of the Panhellenic Association, a marketing assistant for the Career Center and a resident assistant since 2013. 

Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.