Beyond the Blue Jacket
Alison Tran.
Katherine Phan Tran was born in Vietnam and helped raise her five younger siblings with her grandparents. While she worked, cleaned and cooked, she also saved enough money to immigrate to the United States of America at the age of 18. Tom Tran was also born in Vietnam and emigrated once he turned 20. Tom and Katherine fell in love and got married not long after meeting each other and had three girls. They are now successful business owners, with one daughter in college and two in high school.
Meet Alison Tran
Alison Tran is the second daughter of Tom and Katherine Phan Tran. She serves as vice president of the Tallassee FFA Chapter in Alabama, secretary of her school’s National Honor Society (NHS) chapter and member of HOSA – Future Health Professionals. Throughout high school, Tran has maintained her high GPA and is known for her work ethic and time management skills. Her parents taught her how hard work leads to success. Following her parents’ example, she has consistently set and held herself to extremely high standards.
FFA Opportunities
Tran was first exposed to FFA through Alabama’s aquaculture career development event (CDE). Asked to join the CDE by a friend, Tran went on to lead the team to first place at the district competition, as well as first or second place at state every year they competed.
That is not where Tran stopped her involvement in FFA, though. By her senior year, she had been her chapter’s sentinel and risen to vice president. These experiences gave her the opportunity to travel to Indiana for the National FFA Convention & Expo, where she met students from Kea’au, Hawai`i, through the Chapter Connect program.
Other Organizations
FFA led to Tran to participate in more organizations available at Tallassee High School. She decided to join Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), HOSA, NHS and the Leo and Key Clubs.
After a year of juggling six different clubs, Tran wanted to focus on what would truly benefit her in the future, which is why she decided to maintain her membership in FFA, NHS and HOSA. She intends to become a healthcare professional, so she took the initiative to join various advanced placement and dual enrollment classes to speed up her time in college.
Conclusion
Through FFA, Tran earned her first leadership role, giving her the confidence to achieve more than she could have ever imagined. Tran has since used the skills she learned to become an excellent role model for future students to mimic.
