Two Duke alumni have been awarded the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate study at Stanford University. Class of 2024 graduates Chloe Nguyen and Neil Upreti have each received up to three years of financial support at Stanford University.
Nguyen and Upreti are members of the eighth Knight-Hennessy cohort and are the 13th and 14th Duke student to receive the scholarship since the program welcomed its first class in 2018.
Chloe Nguyen, from Las Vegas, Nevada, is pursuing a J.D. at Stanford Law School. Supported by the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, Nguyen is currently completing her M.S. in digital policy at the University College Dublin in Ireland. Drawing on her education in the European Union and the United States, Nguyen aspires to employ law, policy and psychology to reduce intergroup conflict online and craft better digital environments for all.
While at Duke, Nguyen earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy. As both a Baldwin and Nakayama Scholar, and recipient of the Terry Sanford Leadership Award, Nguyen founded the Duke Justice Project, a student group addressing issues of mass incarceration and reentry into society following detention. She also promoted political reconciliation on campus, collaborating with organizations like Braver Angels and Project Citizen to create programming encouraging productive engagement across difference. Her research on intergroup conflict, as well as work in local journalism with organizations such as the 9th Street Journal, shaped her interest in technology law and policy.
“I am profoundly grateful for the mentorship and support provided to me by the entire Duke community,” said Nguyen, “but I’m especially thankful for Professor David Hoffman, Professor Deondra Rose, Professor Bill Adair, and former Dean of Students Dr. John Blackshear. These individuals inspired me, shaping not only my work, interests, and values, but also the confidence with which I pursued them. I feel lucky that they invested their time into helping me grow as a person and student.”
Neil Upreti, from Dallas, Texas, is pursuing an M.D. at Stanford School of Medicine. He aspires to increase accessibility to healthcare in resource-limited settings by developing low-cost therapeutic and diagnostic tools.
Upreti graduated from Duke with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, conducting extensive research in acoustofluidics under the direction of Tony Jun Huang, William Bevan Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. “I would like to especially thank Professor Huang for taking a chance on me early in my undergraduate career,” Upreti said. “His mentorship not only shaped my research interests but also inspired my passion for using biomedical innovation to serve others. The values and direction I carry forward today are deeply rooted in the opportunities he gave me.”
As an undergraduate, Upreti served in a range of leadership roles, from Engineering Student Government to Duke Global Medical Brigades. He also founded Fluoride Fellowship Inc., an NGO that has helped provide medical supplies to more than 20,000 individuals in underserved communities.
The Knight-Hennessy scholarship was founded in 2016 by Nike founder Phil Knight and John Hennessy, who served as Stanford University’s president from 2000- 2016. The scholarship was created to educate and prepare a community of scholars for leadership roles in academia, industry, government, nonprofits and the community at large. To receive support for applying for opportunities like the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, prospective applicants should contact the Nationally Competitive Scholarships advisors in the Office of University Scholars and Fellows. For more information on the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, visit the Knight-Hennessy website.
May 12, 2025
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