Nicholas Tran

(he/him/his)

Candidate for External Vice president

General Questions

A lot of people have the misconception that the EVP role is strictly CORR/UNAVSA-related duties. How do you intend to build a relationship with other organizations as well as the non-VSA community?

Familiarize myself with other organizations similar to VSA in the aspect of promoting both social interaction and philanthropic goals and reach out to achieve common goals and broaden the experience of both party members. 

What is your view on VSA nationally, in terms of UNAVSA?

I’m impressed by the scale of VSA but feel like I’m often out of the loop about events hosted by UNAVSA or regions beside Gulf Coast or South until the last minute. I feel like general members lack awareness of the bigger VSA picture and of  ways to interact with the continental community. 

How do you view your responsibilities?

Act as the eyes and ears of GC to receive information from other partners in UNAVSA and share the ongoings of GC so all parties can learn and grow collectively. 

What is your strategy to promote and maintain leadership within the Gulf Coast through your position?

Reach out to past eboards to get feedback on where our weak points may be. As I have not held any eboard role before, I will first look to predecessors for guidance so I may enable,critique, and support future leaders. 

What do you think is the source of the generation gap within our region and what are some ways to improve our relationship with Cong Dong (older Vietnamese community)?

A lack of communication due to both the language barrier and lack of a free space for a public dialogue. Older generations tend to keep details of events close to their chest while also wanting to impart lessons from their experiences. Perhaps we can make an anonymous board for discussion and a submission for questions if there is a planned guest speaker event upcoming. Parents often just see VSA as a club that their kid uses to hang out and party, but we may be able to use it as a platform to bridge gaps in the generations of our community and be taken more seriously. 

What are your plans to further engage inactive/busy alumni with our organization?

Allow for submissions for an alumni highlight post.