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Tram Phan

3x

Finalist

1x

Winner

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • HOSA
  • Research

Reading

  • Self-Help

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

I moved to Texas a few years ago, but California never left my mind. My dream is to attend a ‘University of California’ and go into the pre medical path. I want to be the first person in my family to graduate college. I have been volunteering at a women's clinic for two years , where I check patients in, hand out water, and sit with people who are scared. I also compete in HOSA Behavioral Health and help lead over twenty students as vice president. I collect data for disease research at UT Southwestern. I even did a NASA biomedical program where my team designed an AI stress-monitoring concept for astronauts. None of that felt like work. It just felt like me. I want to study psychology or neurobiology because I want to understand how fear and stress live in the body. I want to become a doctor, but not the kind who just writes prescriptions. I want to be the kind who sees people before asking for their story. Going to a UC would bring me closer to my family and closer to my future. I would be the first to wear a cap and gown, and the first to come back in a white coat.

Education

Tarrant County College District

Associate's degree program

2024 – 2026

James Bowie High School

High School

2023 – 2027

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Majors of interest:
Biopsychology
Desired degree modality:
In-Person
Medical school interest:
Yes

Career

  • Tutor

    Education · Brighter Life Soulutions

    Jan 2024 – Present

  • Sales Associate

    Retail · Hollister

    Jan 2025 – Present

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Medical Practice
Work experience:
2 years
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Entrepreneurship
Women in Healthcare Scholarship
My little sister has autism. Watching her struggle to communicate, to regulate, to be understood by a world that does not always have patience changed me. I started asking questions. Why does her brain work differently? What does she feel when she cannot find the words? How can I help her? Those questions led me to healthcare. Specifically, psychology and neurobiology. I want to understand how disorders develop, how the brain processes fear and stress, and how to help kids like my sister live fuller lives. But I am not waiting until college to start. I joined P-TECH, my school's early college program, to earn my associate degree early. I volunteer at a free women's clinic, checking patients in and providing support. One afternoon, a teenage girl walked in, gripping the counter with shaking hands. I did not ask what was wrong. I just said, "You don't have to tell me anything. Do you want to sit over there? I can bring you water." Before she left, she turned and said, "Thank you for not making me explain." That moment taught me that compassion is not about fixing people. It is about seeing them. As a woman in healthcare, I will bring something that cannot be taught: lived experience. I grew up low-income. Some months, the EBT card is the only thing keeping warm canned soup in our stomachs after my dad's back gives out. I know what it feels like to be scared of a medical bill. I know what it feels like to watch a family member struggle and have no one explain why. That is why I want to become a doctor who works with children with developmental and behavioral disorders. I want to help families who feel as lost as my immigrant mom did when my sister was first diagnosed. I want to work in community health clinics that serve low-income families. I want to help patients navigate health insurance and medical bills the same way I learned to navigate grocery budgets: carefully, creatively, and with dignity. Women bring unique strengths to healthcare. We listen differently. We ask different questions. We notice the small things, like a girl's shaking hands, a mom's tired eyes, a sister's silent frustration. I have been that girl. I have been that sister. Now I want to be the one who stays in the room. At UT Southwestern, I help collect CDC WONDER data for disease research. Good data leads to good health policy. Good policy helps real families, families like mine. There is a quote that stuck with me: "Your nervous system doesn't respond to talent. It responds to practice." Last year, I did not even make it past the Area conference for HOSA. I froze. So I trained differently. This year, as Vice President of my school’s HOSA chapter, I helped lead more than 20 students, and I myself placed second in the state under Behavioral Health. I am not waiting to make a difference. I am already volunteering, researching, and leading. But I need this scholarship to keep going. My dad built things with his hands. I want to build something with my education. A career. A future. A different kind of life for my family. And then I want to come back and help other young women do the same. That is why I chose healthcare. That is how I will make a difference as a woman in this field.
Tram Phan Student Profile | Bold.org