Anna Baird T’27 has served as vice president of the Student Board since last fall. As she prepares to take on her new role as Student Board president this spring, we wanted to capture her reflections on her Tuck experience thus far.
What has been the most surprising thing about your role as class president so far?
The responsibilities of a class president are shaped in real time, since no one knows what tomorrow will bring. Balancing the proactive and reactive nature of this role has been unexpected but deeply gratifying.
How do you feel like your role has shaped your approach to leadership?
This role has taught me the importance of dissolving one’s ego. My classmates elected me to be their first point of contact, and it is a responsibility I take very seriously. It requires being authentically myself while remaining approachable to everyone.
As I step into the role of Student Board president next year and represent the entire student body, I recognize the importance of amplifying the diverse experiences and perspectives that students bring with them to Hanover. This role is so much larger than myself, and the most rewarding part is the opportunity to serve as a mirror and reflect the best parts of Tuck.
How has the community of women at Tuck shaped your time here?
The women here are exceptional—highly accomplished and extremely bright. They embody the best of Tuck and lead with vulnerability and humor, which I think are the truest expressions of intelligence.
My female friends mean everything to me. I would be truly lost without their fierce loyalty and support. I know they will go on to accomplish great things, and I look forward to the day when I can say, “I know her! We went to Tuck together!”
What are you looking forward to as we approach the spring term?
Eating outside! Woccom in a long-sleeved shirt! 7 p.m. sunsets!
Who is a female role model or mentor you look up to, and what do you admire about them?
I recently learned about Katharine Graham in my elective Moral Reasoning (which I cannot recommend enough!), and I found her story particularly powerful. She assumed control of The Washington Post Company after the death of her husband—whom her father had originally named as successor—ultimately becoming the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
She was integral in the decision to publish the Pentagon Papers and support investigations into Watergate. What she lacked in traditional experience, she made up for in her innate ability to foster deep relationships of mutual trust and respect, both with her team and those across the aisle. She was people-first and principle-driven.
To me, Graham serves as an important reminder that humility is a strength, and that your self-perceived weaknesses can unlock your superpowers.
Favorite Tuck memory so far?
Swimming in the river every day of Tuck Launch. I remember feeling like I was at the beginning of something momentous, and that everything lay ahead.
In many ways, I think we are still at the beginning—Tuck will serve us for the rest of our lives in ways we can’t possibly predict right now. Whenever I feel like time is moving too fast, I remind myself that these two years in Hanover are a launch of what’s to come.
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