Meet our new student, Emily Diem Tran

My name is Emily Diễm Trần. I am a Queer Millennial and second-generation Vietnamese American, born and raised in Westminster, CA. I am the eldest daughter of Vietnamese refugee parents who rebuilt their lives in the United States after the Vietnam War in 1975. Witnessing their resilience, sacrifices, and commitment to caring for our family and community shaped who I am and continues to influence my understanding of service, belonging, and collective responsibility. About 10 years ago, I moved to San Diego, and today I live in Chula Vista with my fiancée, Lucia Napolez, their elderly father, and younger sister. Guided by values of intentionality, mindfulness, and inclusion, my professional and community journey has taken me through nursing, community organizing, aging and disability advocacy, and local government.

I began my career as a Licensed Vocational Nurse in my twenties, where I discovered a passion for caring and advocating for older adults. As I entered my thirties, my career evolved, and I returned to higher education to pursue an undergraduate degree in Gerontology, while becoming more involved with aging advocates, policymakers, community leaders, and grassroots organizers. These experiences deepened my understanding of how systems, cultures, and institutions shape both individual lives and entire communities. Today, I work as a Management Analyst for the City of Chula Vista, developing social programs that support older adults experiencing housing instability and improving transportation access for older adults and people with disabilities through a local shuttle program. Across each stage of my career, a common thread has remained: a desire to understand how systems function, how they shape our lives, and how they can be transformed when they no longer serve our collective well-being.

But through this work, I also began to recognize the limits of systems alone. Policies, programs, and advocacy are essential for addressing structural inequities, but they cannot, by themselves, heal the deeper wounds of isolation, division, grief, and the loss of belonging. I originally pursued graduate studies in public health because I wanted to better understand how systems influence the health of communities. Over time, however, I found myself asking different questions: What helps people remain in a relationship when conflict arises? How do communities heal after experiencing harm? And how do we rebuild trust and belonging in a society where disconnection and polarization have become increasingly common?

Although I was raised in an American context, my parents instilled in me the Vietnamese cultural values of communalism, interdependence, and collective responsibility. I grew up understanding that our responsibilities extend beyond ourselves and that our individual well-being is deeply connected to the well-being of our families and communities. This cultural lens continues to shape how I understand the questions I am asking today. It has led me to believe that lasting transformation requires more than effective systems and policies; it also requires compassion, mutual responsibility, accountability, and a willingness to remain in relationship with one another, especially when doing so remains challenging.

These questions ultimately led me to pursue theological education instead of Public Health through Pacific School of Religion this Fall. Through PSR's Master of Divinity and stackable Master of Arts in Social Transformation pathway, I plan to build on the foundational elements of my leadership through theological formation. Finding strength in my Vietnamese American cultural heritage and my experiences in healthcare, community organizing, public service, and advocacy, I hope to reach the answers to the previous questions posed.

My home church is University Christian Church in San Diego, where I have been a member since 2021. I have served as an Elder, Leadership Council member, and member of the Finance and Administration Committee. With Lucia, I also co-facilitated “Let's Talk About It” workshops exploring emotional intelligence, conflict styles and resolution, LGBTQIA+ allyship, and ableism. Beyond my local congregation, I have participated in the Pacific Southwest Region through Camp Ministry, serving as a camp counselor in the past and participating in regional gatherings and leadership opportunities yearly.