David Duncan left high school to care for his ailing grandmother, but that act of family devotion ultimately led him to a path of public service that will take him from Santa Monica College to Stanford University this fall.
The 21-year-old economics and math major served as Associated Students president at SMC during a tumultuous year marked by devastating wildfires, political tensions and ongoing student challenges. His leadership helped deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars in disaster relief and expanded campus engagement to record levels.
"I always knew I wanted to go back" to school, Duncan said. "It just had to be the right time."
That time came in early 2023, when Duncan enrolled at SMC after years of caring for his grandmother, who raised him along with his mother and grandfather. His grandmother has since passed away, but his 98-year-old grandfather remains active in the family, currently working on a novel.
Duncan's initial three-hour daily commute by public transit became a catalyst for his political awakening. Learning that SMC students had helped pioneer the Metro GoPass program he relied on sparked a realization about student government's broader impact.
"I realized that student government could have a big impact not just on campus but also on the surrounding community," Duncan said.
He first won election as director of budget management for Associated Students before being elected president, representing SMC's diverse student body of more than 30,000.
During his presidency, Duncan demonstrated crisis leadership when the Palisades and Eaton wildfires devastated the region earlier this year. Leveraging his position on the Student Senate for California Community Colleges board of directors, he helped coordinate direct aid for affected students and communities.
Under his leadership, student organization participation reached an all-time high of 89 active clubs, reflecting increased campus engagement despite ongoing challenges.
Duncan's advocacy extended beyond campus boundaries. He twice traveled to Washington, D.C., with fellow student leaders to lobby for legislation benefiting students, including a California Assembly bill expanding access to EBT benefits that help low-income students purchase groceries.
Closer to home, he organized support for Measure HLA, a Los Angeles ballot initiative requiring pedestrian and bicycle-friendly improvements during street repaving projects to enhance public transit access.
"We also lobbied local transit departments to change their schedules to increase students' access to campus—especially for those taking night classes," Duncan said.
His commitment to public service stems from personal experience. Growing up near the Inglewood Oil Field, Duncan witnessed how pollution disproportionately affects lower-income communities, sparking his interest in environmental justice.
"Taking care of my grandparents, navigating public health and social systems—it all made me think about how we can do better by people, especially the most vulnerable," he explained.
SMC's Public Policy Institute became instrumental in shaping his advocacy approach. The nonpartisan interdisciplinary institute, unique among community colleges, offered hands-on experience in policy work.
"PPI showed me how institutional change happens," Duncan said, crediting professors Shari Davis and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein as influential mentors.
Duncan's academic and leadership achievements earned him acceptance to 23 prestigious universities. Initially planning to apply only to local schools like UCLA, he was encouraged by SMC's Office of Student Life to consider private institutions as well.
At Stanford, Duncan plans to continue his advocacy at the intersection of economics, climate policy and transit justice, with long-term aspirations in policymaking.
"I'm still figuring out what the next chapter looks like, but in the long term, I'd like to be a policymaker," he said. "Now more than ever, it's important to be engaged in our democracy and protect the most vulnerable among us."
Duncan credits SMC with transforming his life both academically and personally.
"The community at SMC is really something special," he said. "It's supportive, tight-knit and genuinely invested in your success."
His journey from high school dropout to Stanford-bound student leader exemplifies the transformative power of community college education and the impact of students who choose service over self-interest.
Duncan's story demonstrates that sometimes the most circuitous paths lead to the most meaningful destinations.
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Edited by Maaz Alin. Article Courtesy of the SMC Public Information Office.