Justice and joy
From an early age, Kiah Duggins ’17 was reminded almost daily by her parents that “to whom much is given, much is required.” As anyone who knew her can tell you, Kiah upheld her end of that duty—and then some.
A Clay Barton Scholar and proud alumna of the Barton School of Business, holding degrees in international business, economics and Spanish, Kiah was a passionate advocate for students and social justice. In her four years as an undergraduate student, Kiah served as chief of staff on the Student Government Association, successfully lobbying university administration to designate the Grace Memorial Chapel as a multi-religion place of worship and co-founding the Shocker Food Locker—now named the Shocker Support Locker—which continues to grow and was utilized more than 7,000 times in 2024-25.
“Kiah always, always, always stood up for the little guy, even in elementary school,” says Gwen Duggins, Kiah’s mother. “I think a lot of it was her innate personality; she was passionate about equity for all, and people being treated fairly was huge for her.”
On Jan. 29, 2025, Kiah was killed in the tragic mid-air collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter. With a celebration of life attended or live streamed by more than 8,000 people, it is without a doubt that Kiah lived a life worthy of acclaim and leaves a legacy worthy of upholding. Perhaps what made her memorable to most was her ability to lead with joy, whether she was arguing in passionate opposition to injustice or asking a classmate what the most magical part of their day was.
“There are two words that I use to describe Kiah: joy and light,” says Duggins. “Even though her job was very weighty and she dealt with heavy things, she found ways to carve out joy in her life. She lit up a room and touched so many lives.”
Following graduation from Wichita State, Kiah completed a Fulbright grant as a teacher in Taiwan before continuing her education at Harvard Law School, where she further pursued her passion for social justice. In her time there, she served as president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau; was a member of Harvard Defenders and Harvard Black Law Students Association; and earned a Clinical and Pro Bono Outstanding Student Award at graduation.
After earning her Juris Doctorate, Kiah went on to work with the ACLU of Northern California and the firm Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin, before taking her talents to the Civil Rights Corps, a nonprofit dedicated to challenging systemic injustice. She had accepted a position to teach law at Howard University beginning in the fall.
In a true example of Kiah’s commitment to ‘lifting while you climb,’ her law school peer James Ramsey says that when he called to congratulate her on her new role, she immediately responded with, “I want you to come be a guest lecturer for my class.”
“Even at the height of her accomplishment and her achievement—there are not a lot of law professors as young as Kiah was—she immediately pivoted to spreading that to someone else,” says Ramsey. “There were just all these little moments where she was at that intersection of justice and joy in a way that was really special.”
The ripples of Kiah’s advocacy can be seen still at Wichita State University, both through faculty who continue to share her legacy and through the programs she initiated as a student. One such program is Kiah’s Princess Project, continued today by the Duggins family, which seeks to empower underrepresented middle and high school girls through culturally relevant mentoring.
As a recipient of the 2025 Young Alumni award, Kiah’s legacy represents the heart of what it means to be a Shocker.
“Kiah was just an ordinary girl from Wichita, Kansas, who used her gifts and talents to uplift others,” says Duggins. “And everywhere she went, she let people know she was from Wichita State.”
Kiah will be recognized with the award, presented posthumously, at the 2025 Heritage Gala on Thursday, Oct. 9.