Hannah Varn, UNH ‘07 has been awarded a Student Fulbright Scholarship to study and conduct research in Germany during the 2007-08 academic year. A Presidential Scholar in the University Honors Program, Ms. Varn will graduate summa cum laude in May, earning a B.A. in Philosophy and English and a minor in Spanish. She is a resident of Kensington, NH.
Ms. Varn will spend the coming year in Germany studying with Professor Anton Koch at the University of Tübingen. Under his guidance, Ms. Varn also proposes to conduct research which applies the concept of the philosophical ideal to the discussion of global warming, engaging with international scholars of philosophy as well as policymakers involved with climate change.
Ms. Varn spent summer 2005 in Costa Rica studying ecology and Latin dance and in summer 2006 traveled to Germany for German language study. In 2006-07 she served as coordinator for the Undergraduate Philosophy Conference and received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to study “Regulative Ideals in Policy Making.” She is a discussion leader for the Socratic Society and editor-in-chief of the UNH undergraduate philosophy journal, “Dialectic.” In 2006 she was an invited participant at the Young Global Leaders Summit and a presenter at the Northern New England Philosophy Association Annual Conference.
Varn is Photography Club president, a participant and leader for Alternative Spring Break Challenge, UNH co-coordinator of Habitat for Humanity, a recipient of the UNH Movers and Shakers leadership award and, in her free time, an active participant in ballroom and salsa dancing.
Upon her return to the U.S., Varn plans to attend graduate school to study applied philosophy. In the future, she hopes to run for political office and/or work for a non-profit or government agency concerned with environmental and ethical problem solving and, ultimately, to teach philosophy at a state university.