New Assistant Director joins the A3C!
We are pleased to announce the recent appointment of Mary Q. Tran as the new Assistant Director at the Asian American Activities Center!
Mary Q. Tran (she/they, chi/chanh) brings deep passion and experience working in higher education on issues of student transition and retention, college access and equity, and bridging the P-20 pipeline, with an emphasis on first-generation and/or low-income (FLI) students of color. Rooted in the ethos of cura personalis or ‘care for the whole person,’ Mary’s student development approach prioritizes students’ holistic growth, success, and persistence. She has extensive experience leading mentorship and coaching initiatives for new, transfer, and first-generation students. This includes serving in the College Possible AmeriCorps program as a college coach for underrepresented and/or FLI college students across the University of Washington campuses.
Most recently, Mary was the inaugural Program Coordinator at San José State University’s new Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment (CAPISE) where she developed inclusive programming, including a peer mentorship program for first-year API students. In this role, she also partnered with the university’s Alumni Association to found the API Alumni Network (APIAN), an affinity group for Asian & Pacific Islander SJSU alumni, and currently serves as APIAN’s inaugural Co-Chair. Mary received her BA in Child and Adolescent Development from San José State University, and a M.Ed in Student Development Administration from Seattle University.
She is excited for the opportunity to continue to mentor and guide students through their identity exploration at Stanford, and to learn from and build off of the A3C’s long-standing work. Born and raised in San José, CA, Mary is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants. She loves all things arts and crafts, reading, and spending time with her family of 2 dogs alongside her spouse.
Mary assumes the Assistant Director role following the departure of Latana Thaviseth, our beloved former Assistant Director of six years. We are thrilled to add Mary to the team and are confident the center will continue to flourish through Mary’s leadership! Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Mary to Stanford!
