Senior Reflection: Kevin Truong

My name is Kevin Truong. I am a senior majoring in law, societies & justice. In the past two years, I have been working as a College and Career Readiness Assistant (CCRA) at Denny International Middle School, located in West Seattle. I’ve planned and developed countless projects at Denny to promote their college-going culture and to ensure that my middle school students are ready for high school. I have also been a Dream Project mentor for all four years (10 quarters) at various partner schools including: Chief Sealth, Ingraham, Cleveland, TEC (Evergreen) and Foster High School. During the summer I work as a STEM and literacy instructor at Denny IMS for their Summer Academy Program.

In terms of my post-graduation plans, I will be taking a gap year to work as an AmeriCorps member for College Access Now to continue working with juniors and seniors in high school. Following my gap year, I hope to be admitted into the Masters in Public Administration program at UW’s Evans School.

I’ve been involved with Dream Project since my junior year in high school because I was a mentee at Chief Sealth High School. My most memorable experience was the fun and excitement that I had during Spring BBQ and seeing dozens of college students in purple forming an arch bridge with their arms cheering on all the high school students. At that moment, I knew that once I got accepted into the UW I had to join the Dream Project family. Two years later, Dream Project did indeed became my second family. Aside from the wonderful mentors and leaders that I’ve worked with, the students are the main reason I find myself consistently registering for Dream Project, quarter after quarter.

I grew up in the heart of West Seattle, in a neighborhood called High Point. High Point is an area consisting of low-income families living in public housing funded by the government. My parents both dropped out of elementary school in the second grade, so growing up, the goal of pursuing higher education was always in the back of my mind. My parents emphasized the importance of college to me, but besides words of encouragement they were unable to help me with my academics or college application process. As an introverted high school student, it was difficult for me to reach out for help.

Regardless, when I became a mentor I knew that I wanted to become the role model that I never had. I think the best feeling that I’ve had as a mentor is seeing many of my mentees get accepted into the UW, and follow my footsteps in joining Dream Project to become wonderful mentors, learning to appreciate the Dream Project mission as I do. One by one, the lives that I’ve touched and the relationships that I’ve built with my students and mentees in these past four years were more than enough for me to feel that I’ve succeeded in making the most of my college career.

If you’d like to learn more about my work in Dream Project. Please check out my personal website: https://kmtruong.weebly.com.