Master’s candidate had passion for social justice

Hana Staub, a master’s degree candidate in the School of Social Work with a background in community service, died on May 31.

Her father, Jacob Staub, said she committed suicide. She was 25.

“We do not want to hide this,” he said. “It has become an epidemic.”

Officers from the Carrboro Police Department were sent to check on her on May 29 after receiving warning, said Sgt. Chris Atack.

She was transported to UNC Hospitals after the police checked her residence, he said.

Staub began the Master’s program in the School of Social Work at the University this summer.

She graduated from Warren Wilson College in Asheville with a double major in psychology and social work in 2008, said Cathy Kramer, dean of service learning at Warren Wilson.

She said Staub was a student leader on campus.

“She was an excellent student,” Kramer said.

“She was very conscientious and very active on campus. She was a very warm person and people felt comfortable with her.”

She was awarded the 2008 Summer Policy Fellowship by the National Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors.

The fellowship is awarded to one undergraduate student in social work from the United States to serve as a Summer Policy Fellow in Washington, D.C.

During her senior year at Warren Wilson, Staub worked with the Homeless Initiative of Asheville and Buncombe County to help reduce and prevent homelessness.

Her projects included finding a way to include the voice of the homeless within the Homeless Initiative and advocating for policies on both the local and federal level.

Iris Carlton-LaNey, one of Staub’s professors at the University, said she noticed Staub’s passion for social issues.

“She was an advocate for social justice,” Carlton-LaNey said.

Aaron Thompson, a doctoral student in the School of Social Work and one of Staub’s instructors during summer school, said Staub was well-liked by her classmates and seemed to make friends easily.

A memorial service has been planned for Saturday at Warren Wilson.

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