La Paz ’26 is First UNH Student to Receive Beinecke Scholarship – University of New Hampshire

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on YouTube
Follow us on Instagram
Find us on LinkIn
UNH Today RSS feeds

UNH Today is produced for the UNH community and for friends of UNH.
The stories are written by the staff of UNH Marketing.
Email us: unhtoday.editor@unh.edu.
Manage Your Subscription     Contact Us
 
UNH Today  •  UNH Main Directory: 603-862-1234
Copyright © 2025  •  TTY Users: 7-1-1 or 800-735-2964 (Relay NH)
USNH Privacy Policies  •  USNH Terms of Use  •  ADA Acknowledgement

Jesus La Paz ’26 (right) with Syeda Khadija (Dija) Haq during a trip to Senegal through the International Changemaker Grant.
Jesus La Paz ’26 became the first UNH student to ever receive the Beinecke Scholarship, a prestigious award given to 20 students nationwide each year that provides support for graduate education in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
UNH applied to become a participating institution for the Beinecke Scholarship last year, making La Paz the first ever UNH nominee, as well (participating institutions are only allowed to nominate one student per year). He was selected from a pool of 93 candidates to receive the scholarship, which will provide $35,000 of financial support toward his graduate education as well as mentorship from the Beinecke program.
“Receiving the Beinecke Scholarship means being able to pursue my academic interests without worrying too much about funding my education or lifestyle during graduate school,” La Paz says. “It represents the freedom we all should have to pursue our dreams, regardless of our economic background.”
La Paz is applying to graduate school programs in philosophy – Ph.D. programs, in particular – and hopes to become a professor of philosophy after wrapping up his education. He is also currently applying for a Fulbright in Morocco to conduct research on the small population of Moroccans who speak Spanish.
La Paz, a philosophy and justice studies dual major and Honors College student, has also taken part in the McNair Scholars program through UNH and has done research under the mentorship of Nick Smith over the last two years.
He presented his research at the summer McNair Conference and UNH’s Undergraduate Research Conference and will be continuing his research this summer with the support of a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) from UNH’s Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research.
La Paz was with friends when he first got word that he’d received the Beinecke Scholarship, prompting an impromptu – and unique – celebration.
“I was with my friends when I received the email, and I screamed. Then my friends and I celebrated by sliding down a hill and walking through the woods. It was a very unusual celebration, but I was so happy that it didn’t matter – I just wanted to enjoy the moment with my friends,” La Paz says. “Later, I called my family and explained everything to them. My family is from the Dominican Republic, so I couldn’t celebrate with them in person, but they congratulated me over the phone.”
La Paz has been active in a variety of groups and organizations at UNH. He has served as a student coordinator for the UNH Socratic Society and has been involved in UNH Mock Trial and the UNH Ethics Bowl Team. He is a TA for the UNH philosophy summer camp, Future Leaders Institute, and formerly volunteered at the Cats’ Cupboard food pantry. He is also a co-founder of UNH Students for Self-Sustainability, a student organization that has been awarded two International Changemaker grants.
One of the most influential experiences La Paz has had at UNH is taking part the McNair Scholars Program, a federally funded TRIO program that provides funding for participants to take part in activities designed to give them a competitive edge when applying to graduate school.
“McNair has been one of the most profound experiences I’ve had at UNH. It changed the way I see the world and the direction of my career,” says La Paz. “It showed me the power of research and knowledge, and how education can help us change and critique the worst parts of our society.”
The Beinecke Scholarship provides La Paz an opportunity to build on the work he’s done at UNH as he pursues graduate education and chases his preferred career path. And it’s not just the financial support that stands out – it’s also the opportunities for mentorship and networking that could open doors to the future La Paz is envisioning.
“Besides the funding, the support from the director of the Beinecke Scholarship will be essential,” La Paz says. “Having someone who understands the graduate school process guiding me through it will definitely be a game-changer.”
La Paz says he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what he has without the support of family, friends and UNH faculty members. He credited his “best friend,” Dija Haq, and her family for their support and for welcoming him “as one of their own.” He also thanked his mother, Verushka Sosa, and father, José Luis La Paz, as well as his mentor Nick Smith and College of Liberal Arts (COLA) professors Claudi Brink, Laure Barillas and Subrena Smith.
“I want to thank all the people who have been there for me, who have pushed me to become a better student, and more importantly, a better person,” La Paz says. “And to every person I’ve ever met — because each encounter carries meaning. Each person has added something to my life. As Hegel writes: ‘Self-consciousness exists in and for itself when, and by the fact that, it so exists for another; that is, it exists only in being acknowledged.’ The meaning of life, I believe, is found in our love and connection to others.”

UNH Today is produced for the UNH community and for friends of UNH.
The stories are written by the staff of UNH Marketing.
Email us: unhtoday.editor@unh.edu.
Manage Your Subscription     Contact Us
 
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on YouTube
Follow us on Instagram
Find us on LinkIn
UNH Today RSS feeds
UNH Today  •  UNH Main Directory: 603-862-1234
Copyright © 2025  •  TTY Users: 7-1-1 or 800-735-2964 (Relay NH)
USNH Privacy Policies  •  USNH Terms of Use  •  ADA Acknowledgement

source