A Mix of Acting, Marketing and Art

Name: Linh Tran

Age: 21

Originally born in Vietnam, Lived in Bridgeport, CT for a long time, but now Lives in Stamford, CT

Major: Digital Media & Design

Concentration: Business Strategies

Minor: Psychology

"Why did you chose to major/minor in those?"

"Well, I first started out as a business major as you may have remembered me in some of your classes, and then I practically was like in every single major offered here, except History. It took me a while to find out what I really wanted to do at first. At first I just wanted to come here for a few years and then transfer somewhere to continue doing acting. But that ship has sailed. So then I knew advertising was always in the back of my head, but I never thought it was something I would be capable of pursuing because I wasn’t really good in like math or science classes. But then I heard about the Digital Media and Design program and how it’s such a general major to be in but it leads to so many pathways. And I like how it’s just Digital Media & Design and not called Advertising so it lets me know that I can do web design and go on adobe illustrator and stuff. Like I can design and do business."

"I actually really wanted to minor in Digital Media & Design because it seems really cool but it isn’t offered as a minor anymore."

"Every major here should have a minor included with it. Like I really wanted to do comm, but that’s not even a major here or a minor here, so it sucks."

"Why did you come to UConn Stamford?"

"It didn’t seem like a bad choice, but it wasn’t, of course like most of us, our first choice either. It was, you know, the most financially acceptable, and I wanted to be in the city really bad, so I chose UConn Stamford."

"Do you visit The City a lot then?"

"Yeah, I try to go as often as possible. Whether it’s to see a show or to go shopping and see the sites and everything."

"Do you want to live in the city since you’re so drawn to it?"

"Yeah, probably from like 20s to early 30s. But eventually I want to settle down, you know, have the whole 2.5 kids, a husband, and a golden retriever, the whole like, well, I consider that the American Dream, you know, when you finally settle down and fall in love and all that."

"So you said you’re passionate about acting, and I know you’re in The Outlets. Did you and Isabella (Bella) Ferrante start the club or was it already a club here on campus?"

"Well, not that we know of, there wasn’t any performing arts or drama club here before and it’s so funny how me and her [Bella] found each other. We both talked to Gayle Riquier, who is the student activity coordinator, and she was like ‘oh, there is another student who is interested in doing that too, here is her email’ and that’s where our friendship, and also the club, grew from and it really expanded to what it is today and we are really proud of it. Like right now, they’re doing the tech rehearsal, the dress rehearsal, and we don’t even have to be apart of it. We’re just spearheading."

"What shows have you guys done and are doing now?"

"Well, we first started out as just regular semester showcases, so like, a compilation of scenes and musical numbers. And now we, along with that, have improve, so we try to do a show with that every semester. We had acapella for a moment, but another group of girls here wanted to take that on, so that’s no longer with us. But we recently opened up the talent show which will be held later this month, so that’s a new thing we’re trying to do. And we are also trying to incorporate other events that we should do, but that’s for the future."

"Why did you want to do this interview?"

"I was reading the other interviews, the other blog posts you’ve written, and I think they’re just so interesting to see such a variety and diversity of students here, because we are really diverse and I feel like we should capture that more. So I think it’s just good, like where we stand in our junior and senior year, it’s like ‘wow I’ve seen this kid in my class for three years and I never knew that about them’. So that’s really interesting."

"What would your dream job be since you seem to have a lot of interests?"

"Do you know the show Mad Men? So, I really want to become like the next female Donald Draper. And I don’t know if you ever heard of Mary Wells Lawrence, she is like 90 now, but she was an advertiser and I connect with her a lot because she transitioned her love for theatre into advertising and she wanted to show how each ad had like a story behind it. And it’s not just to like, buy this, it touches your soul and I consider it an art form, but that may just be me."

"If you can change anything about UConn Stamford, what would it be?"

"If I can change anything about UConn Stamford, I feel like we should open up more and expand our academic building. I know we have a few classes at the dorms, but I feel like we can totally rent out other empty buildings, or not even the whole building, just like a floor. There is just so many dead spaces and I think it would be cool to also incorporate more city life into it. We are as city as it gets, but you know, some kids just go to class and go home still, and I feel like we need to make it more of a community. I mean it’s already grown so much compared to 2015, but maybe grow into even more of a community."

"Did you live in the dorms last year?"

"I did."

"How would you say the dorms impacted the school?"

"It definitely brings a ‘college campus’ feel a little bit more, and it brings a little more responsibility, which I learned a lot from the dorms. I currently don’t live in the dorms, because my experience with it wasn’t the best. It’s just I feel it’s like real world. Like it helps people live with other people they don’t know and just pick up after yourself. Like you can’t call mommy every five seconds, you know?"

"What apartment building do you live in then?"

"I live at the West Cott."

"Is it nice?"

"Yeah, it’s nice, I mean it’s expensive. I split it with a graduate student here and it’s fine. I enjoy it much more than the dorms. It’s much more quiet and I prefer to have my own room. I don’t mind sharing a bathroom and kitchen with other people, but it’s just that I feel like we spend so much time interacting throughout the day and you just want to rewind and be by yourself by the end of the night."

"What do you think is one part about you that you think distinguishes you from everyone else?"

"I would say the way I can switch off and on. Like I know when is the time to be business like and more professional and I can just easily switch that off to my bubbly and sometimes motherlike, sometimes childlike at the same time personality. I don’t understand it, but yeah, that’s something I’ve learned to do."

"So this is the last question, it’s the free question. Do you have any advice you want to give people or do you want the people to know anything about you?"

"I guess for like a college student general, my advice is to just be yourself and to really step out of your comfort zone. I feel like people get held back by, lets say a professor says ‘oh you don’t have enough experience to apply for this job’ I feel like you should just go for it and keep applying yourself. There’s always learning opportunities out there. Don’t just go to class and go home after; talk to someone, join a club, just get out there."