By Alex-Quan Pham
As a junior at Fountain Valley, Tran has amassed a variety of accolades that include her presidency over the Drama Club, membership of the Comedy Improv Team, and two Coronet Award nominations. The latest title she has added to the collection? American Visions Medal Winner.
She submitted a visual poem entitled “Musings on the Universe” to the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, a national recognition program that began in 1923 and boasts an impressive list of past winners like Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, and Joyce Carol Oates.
What started out as a project for her sophomore English class turned into a nationally recognized film entry.
“I wanted to do something more accessible,” she said as she explained how she intertwined her love for film, literature, and art. She notes spoken word poet Sarah Kay as her primary artistic influence, and Baz Luhrmann and Wes Anderson as her favorite filmmakers.
Among the people who inspire her are her family, first and foremost, as well as Ms. Hollingsworth, who was her sophomore English teacher. And she has immense gratitude for her theatre teachers Mrs. Jerabek and Mr. Zick for fostering her passion for the arts, and whose mentoring helped her win 3rd place in Costume Design at the Long Beach Theatre Festival earlier this year.
All national winners are being recognized at Carnegie Hall in New York tonight, but Tran is unable to attend.
Her reason for absence: “I have to study for the SAT.”
“That’s literally my life,” she added with a laugh.
Nikki is so cool.. <3