Hi there! I’m Kayla Tran and I’m currently a student at Evergreen Valley High School. Last year, I remember that my cousin told me about his volunteer trip to a third world country and I thought, “Ah how nice, but I’m probably never going to be able to go on one.” The thought merely passed over my head and now it seems like a dream come true that my trip is a little less than 2 weeks away! I’m really excited to get outside my bubble and help the community in Leon while learning valuable life lessons. At the moment, I’m a little anxious for this trip because this will be the first time that I’ll spend a night away from my family, but I’m still looking forward to the amazing experiences that lie ahead!

 

A little about myself : )

Last week I turned 17 years old and I have 2 brothers. Because I am the only daughter, my family is pretty protective of me so I’m excited to finally be able to go out on my own. I’ve been on the varsity badminton team for three years and this year I had the honor of being captain of the team. My team is more like my family and every day they inspire me to become a better person. I also participate in Homecoming and Battle for my amazing class of 2017. This year I was a dancer as well as a costume maker.

solo

 

In addition, I’m in my school’s Acts of Random Kindness Club and this club really inspires me to strive to do little things that will make someone’s day. At one event, we made care packages and passed them out to the homeless at downtown San Jose. After we gave a care package to this one man, he teared up and talked to us about his life story. He told us that we need to get a good education and emphasized how important it is to give back to the community. This one experience really stuck with me because it showed me how a small act of kindness could make a huge impact. On this trip, I hope to make more experiences like this and make a positive impact in the community.

 

Lastly, I’d like to thank all of my friends and family for making me the person who I am today. I’m literally counting the days down til the trip and I can’t wait to everyone!

 

“Good isn’t something you are. It’s something you do.” -Laurie Penny