She was a civil rights attorney, once worked as a policy intern in the White House for first lady Michelle Obama and competed twice in the Miss Kansas pageant.
Kiah Duggins seemingly could do it all.
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The 30-year-old grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and among her many accomplishments was founding a food and personal hygiene bank dedicated to students at her college.
"It's a legacy that continues on to this day," said Bobby Gandu, director of admissions at Wichita State University. "Annually, they give out more than 80,000 items and Kiah was a driving force to make that happen."
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She also had ties to Massachusetts, graduating from Harvard Law School in 2021.
In a statement following her death on American Airlines Flight 5342 Wednesday, the school's dean, John Goldberg, said that Duggins "was known for her boundless enthusiasm for advancing justice for the most vulnerable."
While at Harvard, Duggins served as president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, where she worked to protect families from unlawful evictions, including during the pandemic.
"Kiah led us all with her grace, her brilliance and her wonderful laugh," said Eloise Lawrence, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau's acting faculty director. "She always treated others with deep kindness and respect, but she was not afraid to make tough decisions or to tackle difficult problems."
Serlina Boyd, founder of Britain's Cocoa Girl Magazine, connected online with Duggins over their mutual interests.
"She loved initiatives that empowered children," said Boyd. "Especially children of color."
Boyd says there were few women like Duggins and hoped to work with her to bring Cocoa Girl to the U.S.
"I will always celebrate her because she inspired so much of my work," Boyd said.
Duggins was set to start a new job as a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., in the fall.
