Phuong Vy Thuy Tran is a second-year Promise Scholar at UC Santa Barbara pursuing a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Philosophy. As a first-generation Vietnamese-American, her journey into higher education is one filled with countless obstacles and wild dreams. She takes after her mother: a resilient womxn who continues to challenge adversity, a loving daughter who embraces life’s little moments, and a curious student who thrives on learning. With interests in cross-cultural relationships, interactive media, and spatial design, Phuong Vy hopes to start an event planning business in the near future. For her, event planning is the art of engineering space into a world for individuals to transcend differences and to share memories of a lifetime. Currently, Phuong Vy is an event intern for KB Events, a wedding planning company in Santa Barbara. With the help of the Gablers Promise Scholars Writing Program, Phuong Vy hopes to encourage other Vietnamese-Americans (and others alike) to work towards their wild dreams, no matter how big or small.
Creative writing
“In San Jose” is dedicated to Phuong Hong Thi Tran and highlights the language barrier that the author experienced in her hometown through the use of both Vietnamese and English.
Year-long project
The website I created primarily serves as an outlet for me to explore different forms of creative writing as I navigate the most intimate and goofy moments of my life. I use fiction, non-fiction, and poetry in hopes to better capture the complexity of finding one’s identity and true purpose. It’s not easy to know what you want to do at 10, 20, or 30. My goal is to be a breath of fresh air for friends who are discovering (or re-discovering) themselves in a world that demands a little too much. My pieces aim to be short, relatable, and personable.
