By Uy Pham
While most students are passionate about one subject area, senior Natalie Tran, unable to pick a favorite subject, has skill and passion for both the studies of Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) and humanities.
“I feel like a lot of people focus on STEM, which I love science and math, but I also think humanities is really important,” Tran said. “I feel like both can’t coexist without each other and both studies are very important to your growth as a person.”
Tran practices her passion in the humanities through the application of her language and composition skills by serving as Baron Banner’s current co Editor-in-Chief. She joined Baron Banner in her sophomore year after she began to follow a variety of Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) social media accounts. After seeing more content from Baron Banner, Tran’s interest in the school’s newspaper grew.
“I would always read these stories in their articles, and I liked to go on their website,” Tran said. “I also knew some people who are in Baron Banner, so I felt encouraged to join. I just applied, started, and really liked it.”
Tran also practices her passion for the humanities by participating in Model United Nations for four years and is currently co-president of the club. She credits these activities for helping her build her work ethic to meet deadlines and collaborate with others.
“Having a leadership position in the club itself taught me a lot about collaboration and how I’m typically a person who tries to do everything on my own. You have to be able to rely on other people to help you,” Tran said.
With Tran also having a passion for STEM, it is no surprise that she participates in extracurriculars related to this study as well. Last year, Tran interned at the University of California, Irvine, focusing on theoretical and computational chemistry. Additionally, Tran founded and is president of a club at FVHS for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County where she learned more about service and really enjoyed helping people.
In the future, Tran, although still a bit undecided, is considering pursuing both her passions by entering a career in neuroscience.
“I feel like neuroscience is kind of an intersection of both STEM and humanities because neuroscience [focuses on] STEM, but you can use neuroscience to explain social phenomena,” Tran said.
Due to the pandemic, Tran’s freshmen year was cut short and her sophomore year was entirely virtual. Entering her senior year of high school, Tran hopes to enjoy her last year at FVHS and not stress too much about school besides her college applications. Tran wishes to enjoy the in-person experiences FVHS has to offer and spend time with her friends and family.
In what she describes as a competitive and collaborative environment at FVHS, Tran offers a piece of advice for students in their high school journeys.
“Make sure to keep a balance between your school life and your social life,” Tran said. “I personally found it hard at first because all I did was school, but if you find a good [and consistent] balance between the two you won’t be too burnt out. Just enjoy your time at high school.”