User talk:Jt88

About Me

My name is John Tran an undergraduate at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. I am originally from Sacramento, California and my thirst for new experiences led me to pursue my education in the east coast.

All my life I have always lived in California and so I can tell you that I was really surprised when I arrived here in Durham. The environment here is just as beautiful as California, but it is very easy to get lost here so remember to bring a map. The weather can be very random sometimes and it is also very humid in the summer. I never faced humid weather before and it was a very interesting how I would sweat just stepping outside my dorm. Also the native people in North Carolina are very friendly and hearing their strong accents puts a smile on my face.

I was currently in a Focus Program that is themed toward green engineering and sustainable designs. Being in the program conveniently placed me in a dorm with other students in the same program as well. We work together in groups on research projects geared toward understanding sustainability and analyzing the positive and negative affects of engineering in our world. The program has broadened my experiences of the engineering and field and also made me conscious of the impact we make in our world everyday. The program has significantly enhanced my interest in engineering and as a result I plan to major as a biomedical engineer. I also plan to be on track for pre-medicine because I want to be a doctor as well as an engineer.

I also have joined a community service club called Circle K and we volunteer our services daily to local organizations such as Ronald McDonald House and Boy's and Girl's Club. In one of the events, I led a group of middle school students on a tour of Duke University and share with them my college experiences and as well as motivate them to pursue higher education.

My overall experience here at Duke University has been simply inspiring. I am fascinated by my classes, my professors are all amazing, the people who are so talented and kind, and the opportunities here are endless. The work load is challenging but that is expected at any college. I will keep working hard and putting my all in everything I do as I pursue my dreams and make the change I want to see in the world.

So Fellow Scholars the road ahead of us is long and challenging and sometimes it may seem overwhelming but as long as we don't give up, keep working hard, and pursue our dreams we will be only be more powerful. I will see you all at the top.

Poems

"One Hundred Lilies"

By John Tran

On this special day I wanted to let you know how much I love you

Each day that passes by without you

Makes my day cloudy and sometimes blue

It’s so hard to be so far…

For me

And for you

…yet we proven our love time again is purely true

So thirty of these lilies are to brighten your day

And each one will say

“I love you”

The seasons come and go

But twenty-five lilies will be there to keep you warm through the snow

Until Christmas Day and a whole new year

Where we start anew

With more love and cheer

Our lucky numbers is a universal law

That brings smiles to us from the moments we saw

Not the numbers in our minds

But something more that our hearts always find

I see

Twenty-one lilies…for me

I see too

Seven lilies…for you

We learn to love from experience

From those we cherish dear

Known throughout our happy lives

And sometimes through sad tears

They give us hope

They give us light

They guide our way through scary nights

They give us meaning to always fight

Blooming eleven lilies for the ones we love with all our might

I count the days until I can see your angelic face

And hold you in my warm embrace

Soft, gentle lips I lust so much

Five lilies until the days they touch

But we can never forget to dedicate two lilies to the sun and moon

That helps these lilies rest and bloom

And gives this world eternal life

And for you to forever be my wife

The last lily you see is just as priceless as the rest

Neither more valuable nor less

If everyone could clearly see the miracle of this single lily

Their lives will change

Because the view, vision, perspective they see

Is what we call an Epiphany

So what is this enlighten realization you might ask

It is that my love for you will forever last

Grand Challenges for Engineering

[1] Recharging Your Cellphone Mother Nature's Way, Ann Eisneburg, New York Times, created January 30th 2010, accessed January 31st 2010 (Making Solar Energy Economical)