Philosophy and political science major Bieu Tran grew up in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Living under a communist regime, he was exposed to politics at a young age.

He remembers staying with his grandparents in an impoverished area, and knowing that nothing could be done to help them.

“Growing up, I saw people suffer and I saw people who had the potential to do great things but were victims of the system,” Tran says.

He also has fond memories of his father hiding a radio in their home in order to listen to the BBC.

When he moved to the United States in 1999, he had a keen appreciation of the rights that Americans have.

His family settled in Bridgeport, where he attended inner city schools.

When Tran entered UConn in 2006, as a participant in the Center for Academic Programs, he started out as an agricultural and natural sciences major.

“I wanted to be a farmer but that didn’t work out well. I struggled in my first semester,” Tran says.

After recognizing his interest in political philosophy, he was able to finish his political science major his sophomore year. That spring, he studied abroad at the National University of Singapore.

During his career at UConn, Tran has managed to achieve a lot. His plan of study included philosophy, politics, and economics, wrote an honors thesis in philosophy, and graduated with degrees in both political science and philosophy (Phi Kappa Phi honor distinction).

Last year he was nominated for Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships as well as the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. He was also a senator with the Undergraduate Student Government representing commuter students, but gave up that position when he moved to campus and became a community assistant at Hilltop residence halls. And he published a paper on Chinese philosophy in a journal at the University of Pennsylvania.

“My background really fuels me,” Tran says. “Living here and knowing that I can make a change and be heard alters my outlook on things.”

Next fall Tran will attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland to study for the M.Litt. and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy.

Coming from a family of engineers and business people, Tran has been pressured to change his plans. But he’s adamant about his career choice.

“I feel that it is important for people to discover their passion,” he says, “because without that, you’ll be lost.”