Shaunak Varma

Shaunak Varma is a graduate of Duke University. He double majored in Economics and Public Policy, and receiving a certificate in Global Health. He loves nothing more than spending time with friends and listening to music or watching sports or movies. Born in raised in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but for some reason, he loves the Detroit Lions. He has a burgeoning interest in politics, and is particularly interested in issues that victims of psychological disorders face.

Most commented posts

  1. Be Aware. Be Kind. Save Lives. — 8 comments
  2. #OccupyWashington — 3 comments
  3. Those Grieving Alone – Seek Support — 2 comments
  4. Making Things Better — 2 comments
  5. Standing Up and Speaking Out — 2 comments

Author's posts

Dec 08

Chaplin’s World

A few nights ago, just as I had closed the books and decided to go to sleep, I stumbled upon a clip of Charlie Chaplin’s impressionable speech at the end of his 1940 film The Great Dictator. In his speech, he made an emotional appeal against the direction the world was headed. He acknowledged that …

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Dec 01

Good Men Doing Something

I have learned a lot over the past 7 months. The lesson that sticks out the most coincides with the name of this blog – that wanting to “do good” is not enough. Good intentions can only solve a problem to some degree. We need to develop sustainable solutions to efficiently make things better. I …

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Nov 23

Taking Back Our Rights

Evelyn Beatrice Hall, a writer who published a biography on philosopher Voltaire in 1906, concisely summarized Voltaire’s beliefs with the now widely recognized phrase “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The Founding Fathers of the United States also seemed to take Voltaire’s teachings …

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Nov 16

He’s Done More than Win 903

Last night was a significant moment in college basketball history. Mike Krzyzewski, dubbed “Coach K” by his Cameron Crazie faithful, reached 903 wins and passed Bobby Knight to become the all-time leader in wins among NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches. This achievement is just another feather in the cap in K’s long and illustrious …

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Nov 10

No Shortcuts to Friendship

The world is shrinking. That’s not shocking news to anyone, I know. Mail used to travel via the Pony Express. Explorers had to take ships across oceans. Communication between two people in distant places was often limited to telegrams. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in such a short time. In just over a century, …

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Nov 08

Indebted to Debt?

Just over a decade ago, public debt was just under $3 trillion and the US was running a budget surplus. Two wars, two recessions, and eleven years later, the debt has skyrocketed to $14.94 trillion, $10.20 trillion of which is public debt (debt held by investors outside the federal government, the Fed, foreign, state, and …

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Nov 04

Changing the Formula

Art has power. Those who are moved by it can be motivated to do great things. “We Shall Overcome” served as an anthem for protestors during the Civil Rights Movement. Books have convinced children to pursue education. The photograph of “Tank Man” on Tiananmen Square has taught many, many people just how much one defiant …

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Oct 19

#OccupyWashington

Chances are, if you haven’t been living under a rock for the past month, you’ve heard about Occupy Wall Street – a burgeoning movement that protests against economic inequality and corporate greed and has spread not only around the country but around the world. Although the concrete goals of the protestors are not completely clear, …

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Oct 14

Creating a Fair Society

We’re often taught in various fields of academia that we live in a dog eat dog world. That we are all driven by our desire to survive and excel, even if such success comes at the expense of those around us. This mindset certainly has its advantages. Often, this cutthroat competitiveness allows people to succeed …

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Oct 10

Character Over Color

No matter how open-minded a group of people seem, wherever I have gone, I have noticed that most cliques perform some degree of self-segregation. White kids hang out with White kids, Black kids with Black kids, Asians with Asians, and Hispanics with Hispanics. Though this is obviously a bit of an overgeneralization, when I walk …

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