Enzo Kho ’26 announced as next Young Alumni Trustee, service and giving emphasized at Alumni Council meeting

Enzo Kho ’26, former president of the Undergraduate Student Government, has been elected as the Young Alumni Trustee for the Class of 2026, following an official announcement of the results at the annual meeting of the Alumni Council on Friday. 

Taking place in Richardson Auditorium, the meeting also included a presentation of various awards for alumni and remarks from Alumni Council Chair Ryan Ruskin ’90, Annual Giving Committee Chair Deborah Yu ’98, and University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83.

Kho beat out fellow seniors Aishwarya Swamidurai ’26 and Jamil Fayad ’26 for the position, gaining a four-year spot on the University’s Board of Trustees. The three candidates had progressed to the general election for the position, advancing from a primary of fifteen candidates, in which only seniors were able to vote.

“I’m super excited — looking forward to it,” Kho told The Daily Princetonian in an interview following the meeting.

Kho’s four-year term will begin on July 1.

The general election was open to all members of the classes of 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027 between April 29 and May 13. According to University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill, 18 percent of the electorate, which included 29 percent of the senior class, participated this year. Turnout declined from 2025, where 21 percent of eligible voters participated.

Congratulating Kho, Ruskin said, “It’s a heavy lift, but you’re going to enjoy every minute of it.” Ruskin then announced the new alumni trustees elected to the board, including Katharine Strunk ’99 and John Dabiri ’01. Thirteen designated alumni trustees are elected by the alumni body to serve four-year terms, including the Young Alumni Trustees.

Separate from the Young Alumni Trustee announcement, the council meeting celebrated the 200th anniversary of the alumni association, with Anthony Noble GS ’01 presenting the Award for Service to Princeton to four alumni. The awards were given to Anthony John Strahs Pappenfus ’13, Lily Chung Partridge ’82, Thomas Reed GS ’71, and Thomas Swift ’76.

Swift serves as president of the Alumni Council’s Princetoniana Committee, while Pappenfus serves as chair of the council’s Class Affairs Committee and is president of his class. Both teared up on stage as they received the award, with Swift declaring that “service to Princeton has been one of the best things I’ve done in my life.”

Partridge has led her region within the Alumni Schools Committee for 16 years, coordinating interviews for applicants to the University. Reed’s illustrations for Reunions and the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni have spanned over 20 years, and are archived at the Seely G. Mudd Manuscript Library.

Yu provided an update on this year’s Annual Giving Campaign, stating that $58.5 million has been raised so far. Undergraduate alumni participation is at 31.3 percent, with 25,216 alumni, parents, and friends contributing.

The campaign ends on June 30. Last year’s campaign ended with $68.4 million raised, and $66.7 million was raised the year before.

“Thanks to our collective generosity, we have been able to fulfill the University’s mission of expanding our Tiger community by allowing the top students to come to Princeton, regardless of their family’s financial situation,” Yu said. She noted that the Class of 2029 received financial aid with an average grant of over $80,000 and that 90 percent of recent seniors graduate debt-free.

Eisgruber echoed this sentiment, stating, “This incredible community is sustained through the dedication of remarkable volunteer leaders like all of you in this room … All of you know these flexible funds are vitally important for the University, especially now.”

His reminder comes at a time of ongoing uncertainty regarding Princeton’s budget, with alumni fundraising playing a greater role in protecting the University’s finances. Last year’s “Stand Up” campaign called for alumni to make the case for higher education, while the years-long Venture Forward campaign also promoted alumni engagement to support University initiatives.

“The University is not immune to the outside world and the pressures from politics and AI and technology and social media,” Ruskin said.

“But what we can do, and what gives me hope, is to see how we come together in community,” he continued. “That’s the antidote to what’s going on.”

Haeon Lee is the associate News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading research coverage. She is from Brooklyn, N.Y. and often covers campus research and academic departments. She can be reached at hl1389[at]princeton.edu.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.