By Christine Garcia
Freshman Kevin Tran does it all: tennis, pickleball and taekwondo. From his grades to his goals, Tran is determined to be the best version of himself.
Tran’s friend introduced him to taekwondo and he worked his way up from a white belt to a black, brown belt. Then, after he picked up pickleball in middle school, Tran’s father influenced him to challenge himself and play tennis. In the beginning, he was unsure about the sport, but his father bought all the equipment for him, forcing him to play. In the end, Tran learned to love the sport.
Tran’s father has the greatest impact on his life, helping instill his love of athletics and his passion for listening to jazz music. Not only his father, but Tran’s family also plays a big role in his life, especially his parents who inspire him to be the best version of himself.
“[My parents] set me up for success … I don’t want to let them down,” Tran said.
Outside of sports, Tran decided to explore Baron Banner after his sister, Jenny Tran, a former Baron Banner member, recommended him to try out for the program. He decided he wanted to improve his ability to write and his social skills, in hopes of writing a great college essay, to get into a California University.
“I kind of wanted to be a better writer because when I’m going to apply to crazy colleges, I want to have an outstanding essay,” Tran said.
His academic ambitions have always driven him to try his best in high school. He hopes that before he leaves Fountain Valley High School, he will achieve perfect straight A’s while taking challenging classes.
After high school, he envisions himself pursuing a career in the medical field. Tran wants to become a doctor to help others and sees the profession as a respectable career.
Despite looking ahead to the future, Tran values time the most because he recognizes that life is short. Looking back at his favorite memories, he thinks fondly of going to Washington D.C. and New York City with his friends. To him, time is very precious and we don’t get to decide how much time we have.
“I try to not waste every single second of my life,” Tran said. “I want to spend it on something that will help me because time is pretty important. [When] a second is gone, you can’t get it back.”
Many things make Tran stand out, but one thing for sure is that he is a hard worker who is looking to constantly improve and reinvent himself. Not only is he a sports enthusiast, but he is a new and driven writer for Baron Banner.