TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The American Institute in Taiwan mourned the death of Fulbright Taiwan alumni Kiah Duggins, who was among the 67 people killed in the Washington, D.C. plane crash last Wednesday. 

In a Facebook post titled “Honoring the Life and Legacy of Kiah Duggins” on Tuesday, “AIT joined Fulbright Taiwan in mourning the tragic death of Duggins, aged 30. She served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in an elementary school in Taitung’s Guanshan District in 2017-2018. 

Duggins in her Fulbright application wrote about the importance of "entering uncomfortable situations with the humility it takes to listen and create relevant, reconciliatory learning environments.” She said her goal as a teacher was to create “joy, light, and learning in the classroom.” 

“We know that she touched many lives here in Taiwan,” AIT said. After teaching in Taiwan, Duggins studied at Harvard Law School, and she wanted to become a law professor at Howard University. 

On Jan. 29, an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided over Washington, D.C. The collision killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, becoming one of the deadliest American aviation disasters in a generation. 

Following the tragedy, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) also said, “Our thoughts are with the American people following the tragic air collision near Washington, D.C. We send our sincere condolences to the victims' families and pray for swift and effective search and rescue operations.”