Morgan Smith ’21 will serve as a Young Alumni Trustee (YAT) on the University’s Board of Trustees, starting his four-year term on July 1, 2021.

The results of the YAT election were announced during the Annual meeting of the Council of Elders, which took place on Friday May 21 at noon.

“Having been shaped by amazing peers, faculty and staff, I am thrilled with the opportunity to positively contribute to the Princeton experience to come,” Smith wrote in an email to the Daily Princetonian. “My love for Princeton grew out of the service and the work behind the scenes, so I look forward to continuing this work as a Trustee.”

At Princeton, Smith focused on the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). In addition to being president of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society (Whig-Clio), she was a student in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduates, a member of the Black Arts Company, a cohort leader for Vote100, and a barista. for the Coffee Club.

She has also been a member of the Campus Life Leadership Council, the Princeton Association of Black Women and the SPIA Student Advisory Committee.

“I have had the experience of wanting to see the institution I hold dear change over time for the better,” Smith said in a statement from the university. “I was the first black president of Whig-Clio, which was once an elite and exclusive institution within an already elitist institution, and have since been inspired to ask what opposes d ‘other “firsts”. The Board of Directors has the ability to make decisions to make Princeton a place that fosters premieres by focusing on equity and inclusion. “

Most recently, Smith served as a judicial intern for Chief Justice Cheryl Pollak ’75, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in the summer of 2020. Previously, she was an ombudsman and legal intern for the Children’s National Washington Hospital. , DC

Going forward, Smith will work as the Children’s Advocate Coordinator with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services on a Project 55 scholarship.

the YAT position, established in 1969, aims to ensure that the board includes four members with recent experience as undergraduates. The elected YATs “have the same rights, powers and duties as all other directors”.

Smith will serve alongside fellow YAT Jackson Artis ’20, Sarah Varghese ’19 and Myesha Jemison ’18 – Achille Tenkiang ’17’s four-year term drawing to a close.

Smith was one of three finalists selected from an initial pool of 21 applicants.

Voting was conducted online through a secure system administered by the Election Services Corporation of Ronkonkoma, NY. The general election candidates – Jonathan Ort ’21, Emma Parish ’21 and Smith – topped the primary election, in which only the upper class voted, from February 23 to March 4.

The general election ran from April 20 to May 12, and the electorate consisted of all class members of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. 18 percent of voters participated in this year’s election.

Ort was the 144th editor of The Prince and Parish was the 2021 class president.

“It has been an honor to race against such phenomenal Princetonians as Jon and Emma,” Smith wrote.

Parish told the “Prince” that she was “so grateful” to be a finalist and that she was “confident” in Smith’s ability to succeed in the role.

Ort also said he believed Smith, whom he met in his sophomore year and considered a close friend, would be successful.

“Morgan brings moral courage and conviction, unwavering dedication and exceptional character to the Princeton board of directors,” he said. “There could not be anyone more deserving or better prepared to serve as the Young Alumni Trustee, and I extend my warmest congratulations to Morgan.