Christina Tran
Summer 2004 Intern

Christina is a 2004 graduate of Rice University in Houston , TX , where she majored in Biochemistry, Biology, and German Studies. Her interests are in the area of public health and health policy, and she has previously worked as an intern at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice. She has also been an undergraduate researcher in biochemistry labs at the Freie Universitaet Berlin , Emory University , and Rice. Christina has been active in the community as a volunteer tutor, a youth leader in Thieu Nhi Thanh The, and an officer in the Vietnamese Student Association at Rice. In addition to Vietnamese and English, Christina speaks German. She likes to travel and has studied and worked abroad in Germany , Guatemala , and Hong Kong . She will be entering medical school in the fall of 2004 and also plans to earn a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree.

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Reflection of the Internship Experience at NAVASA

I started my internship at NAVASA without any experience in the non-profit sector and without much knowledge of its workings. Over the course of the summer, I learned how a nonprofit operates, but more importantly, I was inspired by the dedication and motivation of everyone with whom I worked. In addition, NAVASA's location in the Washington , DC area provided a wonderful opportunity to see how government operates. I got the chance to meet fascinating people, including political leaders, scientists, and other interns and students working in the area.

One of my goals for the internship was to learn more about issues affecting Asian-Americans and other minorities, and particularly issues related to health. NAVASA's internship program far exceeded my expectations in this regard in that I was able to attend several conferences and meetings. The topics addressed in these conferences included health disparities affecting the AAPI community and encouraging leadership in AAPI youth. I also attended CAPAL's Washington Leadership Program, which was another opportunity for interns to network with each other and meet Asian-American leaders working in various fields. I gained valuable skills in research and data collection, and exposure to numerous AAPI organizations, particularly Vietnamese organizations. I learned that there are countless resources available for the Vietnamese community, if one only knows where to look. The skills and memories I gained from the NAVASA internship have proven to be very valuable and will remain with me for a long time. The enthusiasm I felt from everyone affiliated with NAVASA was inspiring, and I aspire to have the same excitement for causes in which I believe.