“My vision of success is rooted in service. I want to help students see education not as a burden but as a powerful opportunity for transformation.” 

Born and raised in Vietnam, My Tran always dreamed of studying abroad. She wanted to broaden her own horizons so that she could return to Vietnam with knowledge and skills she could use to help others. Her dream came true in 2017 when she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in business global leadership from Arizona State University. Afterwards, she went home to Hanoi, where she spent several years working in retail and brand management.

Now, My returns once more to the U.S. with a new mission: to transform higher education for underserved students. She is pursuing a master’s degree in higher education with a concentration in management and organization at the University of Michigan’s Marsal School of Education. She was recently selected to present at the Mathematical Association of America’s MathFest conference on community-building among low-income STEM students.

In addition to her coursework, My juggles three campus jobs — interning with the Math, Computer Science, and Statistics Scholars Program, serving as a peer advisor for fellow international students, and working at the Campus Information Center — all while raising her three children. Alongside these responsibilities, My has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Motivated by her own experiences of exclusion, My co-founded VietGrowth, a mentorship initiative supporting Vietnamese students applying to U.S. universities. Her long-term vision includes developing exchange programs to foster cross-cultural learning between Vietnam and the U.S., as well as creating student support systems that prioritize mental health and belonging. “My vision of success is rooted in service,” My writes. “I want to help students see education not as a burden but as a powerful opportunity for transformation.”

CEW+ is inspired by My’s story of international success and names her the Jean W. Campbell Scholar.