Trina S. Tan, a current University of Vermont (UVM) College of Education and Social Services (CESS) graduate student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESA) program is set to receive two prestigious awards this month at two major national conferences for student affairs professionals. Her first honor, the “Future Leader Award,” will be presented to her by the Asian Pacific Islander Knowledge Community (APIKE) with NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education), at its conference in New Orleans later this month. Her second, the “Outstanding Graduate Student Award,” was presented to her by the Asian Pacific American Network (APAN) with ACPA, (American College Personnel Association), at its conference in Tampa last week.

Nominated for the NASPA award by Dr. Vijay Kanagala, CESS HESA faculty, and Queena Hoang, Assistant Director for UVM Campus Programs, Trina’s “Future Leader Award” recognizes her outstanding contributions as a current graduate student in student affairs. The award salutes her demonstrated academic achievement and acknowledges her significant impact on her home campus for work that supports the advancement of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community.

Trina received her ACPA award nomination from Viraj Patel, Associate Director at Pan-Asian American Community House at the University of Pennsylvania, former APAN Education and Advocacy Coordinator, and UVM HESA alumnus.  The ACPA APAN “Outstanding Graduate Student Award” recognizes a master or doctoral student in higher education who has demonstrated academic excellence, active involvement on campus, ACPA, or in the higher education sector, as well as significant potential as a higher education scholar/practitioner.

When asked what drew her to student affairs, Trina points to her identity as a Filipina-American and immigrant family background.  Growing up in California, she sensed and later realized that she did not ‘fit’ comfortably inside the so-called ‘model minority’ myth, which then and continues to be taken as an article of blind faith in the larger United States context.  She mentions that the belief that people of Asian and Asian American heritage are by definition ‘more capable’ is an oppressive stereotype that affects members of the Asian and Pacific Islander community in adverse and harmful ways. She says she struggled with academics from a young age, and, because of the stereotypes, often did not receive the support she needed. At times, she doubted her place in graduate school. However, through the support of her mentors, community, and grit, she earned straight A’s for the first time last fall.

Trina’s first involvement in student affairs started as an undergraduate at California State University, Fullerton where she majored in English.  There she says, “I developed my leadership skills as an active student leader on issues of inclusion, diversity, and multiculturalism on campus, issues varied from undocumented-student advocacy, educational budget cuts, and hate crimes in the local community.” After college she worked for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign as a Deputy Regional Field Director in California, where she was one of the youngest staff members working in California, and later assisted in Inaugural Day of Service projects.  Additionally, she served several internships in student affairs at institutions such as, University of Southern California, Pomona College, Georgetown University, and most recently, Stanford University. 

At UVM, Trina continues her campus and community involvement.  Trina most recently created dating and relationship workshops for UVM students. “The workshops,” she says, “are a proactive measure for sexual violence, consent, and healthy relationships. It’s a way to start the conversations on communication, heartbreak, rejection, interracial dating, and more.” She was invited to do workshops for PanHellenic and UVM’s Equity Week, and Trina’s efforts in these workshops continue to engage students on issues that concern them. She also serves the APIDA community as a co-advisor for the UVM Asian American Student Union. There she employs her leadership skills to support Asian and Asian American students and create spaces for them to share their unique stories about immigration, adoption, and connection to ethnicity, and community. In addition, she is committed to guiding conversations about coalition building for issues such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Within the Burlington community, Trina is intentional about staying connected to issues that matter.  Last fall, Trina did a graduate internship at City Hall for the City of Burlington where she worked on a proposal for a bias incident reporting protocol, a procedure that would allow Burlington community members a means to report acts of bias from City employees.

As for the future, Trina hopes to continue her work in student affairs and advocacy for the issues that drive her sense of mission.  About leadership, she says, "When it comes to justice issues, coalition building is not optional; it's done out of necessity. I used to think that leadership meant being hard, emotionless, and unmovable…stereotypically ‘masculine.’ But I learned that that wasn't the type of leader I wanted to be. By leading from the middle and approaching problems with understanding and kindness, my leadership style prioritizes emotional intelligence, community, and equity."

That pretty much says it all about a remarkable young woman. All credit goes to Trina for what she has accomplished, and CESS and HESA take pride in her achievements.