Senior Sydney Hunt and Warren Lattimore, a doctoral candidate in theology at the Divinity School, were chosen by the Young Trustee Nominating Committee and President Vincent Price as Duke’s next Undergraduate and Graduate Young Trustees, respectively, wrote Margaret Epps, secretary to the Board of Trustees and Price’s chief of staff, in a Monday email to The Chronicle.
The Board of Trustees will consider their nominations May 13, Epps wrote. The two Young Trustees will not officially take their positions July 1 until they are confirmed by the Board.
Hunt is a Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholar double majoring in electrical and computer engineering and computer science, with a concentration in artificial intelligence and machine learning. She is also pursuing a minor in gender, sexuality and feminist studies. Her involvements at Duke and in Durham have centered on increasing retention and diversity within STEM. She said that if elected to the Young Trustee position, she would work to increase accessibility to resources at Duke and address the impacts of technological evolution on the University.
In addition to his Th.D., Lattimore is also pursuing a certificate of African & African American Studies in The Graduate School, and serves as a course director for Duke’s occupational therapy doctorate program. As a Young Trustee, he hopes to sustain the University’s momentum on priorities such as the Racial Equity Advisory Council and the Climate Commitment.
Young Trustees spend two- or three-year terms on the Board of Trustees. They spend a year as nonvoting observers and then are voting members for the rest of their terms.
Hunt noted the significance of being one of few engineers to serve in this position.
"I hope it encourages others to challenge norms and remember that there is value in everyone's perspective, no matter how different it may be," Hunt wrote in an email to The Chronicle.
She wrote that "imposter syndrome has been (and still is) a big part of [her] Duke experience" and highlighted the support of her mentors, friends and family.
"They always encouraged me to challenge what I believe I am capable of achieving," she wrote. "I hope to do the same for others."
Lattimore wrote in an email to The Chronicle that it is both "an honor" and a "surprise" to be this year's graduate nominee, "as the three other finalists are remarkable individuals."
"The nominating committee stressed their desire for Young Trustee finalists to be themselves, which I took to heart ... I hope to spend my time on the board listening with empathy, speaking with humility, and representing Duke with integrity," he wrote.
Editor's Note: This story was updated Monday afternoon to include comment from Hunt and Lattimore.
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Milla Surjadi is a Trinity junior and a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator of The Chronicle's 119th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 118.