my family name is Trần, my given name Bảo Anh.
in Vietnamese // Tiếng Việt,

Bảo means bảo vật, which means something precious,

Anh means tinh anh, which means something bright, although my dad argues it also means king of the flowers.

regardless, i think my name carries the hope of my parents, and their parents, and their parents.

as a teenage Vietnamese immigrant who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, the first public university in the U.S., i think often about who i am and my role in life.

i come from many generations before me, the resilient Vietnamese people who were once poor farmers, and have built their generational “wealth” through the pursuit of knowledge. i am created by two world-class innovators (in my opinion), which are my parents who have had to think of creative ways to earn enough money to feed their large families in the post-war era of Vietnam.

at 22 years old, i have never known poverty.
all thanks to bố & mẹ.

i’ve always received enough love, education, and nutrition,
all from bố & mẹ.

as a sagittarius sun, i always look forward.
as a virgo moon, i always take care of others.
as an aquarius rising, i think outside of the box.

my creativity comes from community care & refusing the status quo.

thus, i use my creativity for good.
i use my brain to give back to the community.
i use my abilities to work with those that do the same.