Meet Calvin Tran, N24

Why was this the degree for you?

I come from a clinical background working as a music therapist and certified nursing assistant. In both of those experiences, I worked mainly with older adults. Before Friedman, I was transitioning from working as an activity coordinator (Activity Program Enrichment Leader) for Belmont Village Senior Living to a primary care research assistant at UChicago Medicine. Both positions were still engaging with older adults, but the common theme I recognized was the need for nutrition education. As much as I advocated autonomy and independence for older adults, this advocacy lacked a foundation in health education, specifically nutrition.

I’ve grown to love older adults and want every older adult to be able to age healthily and to do so, it’s important to influence their eating and lifestyle behaviors. Given my background and motivation, pursuing a nutrition degree and complementing it with a public health degree was the way I could develop and implement nutrition interventions to support healthy aging among older adults.

What’s the single most important thing you learned during your time at Friedman?

Don’t be afraid to build a path for yourself. Friedman, and Tufts as an institution, have an amazing faculty, and there is no reason not to take advantage of their expertise. One of my many interests is language learning and global health. Before beginning my Master’s, I explored Friedman’s career center and potential career outcomes. There was a job posting for a role at the WHO in Cairo, Egypt. That was the goal I decided to work towards. So, to better prepare myself for a career in global health and working for an organization like the WHO, I decided to start learning Arabic at the Medford campus and creating a directed study titled, 'Cultural Competency in the MENA Region.'

The faculty at Tufts only wants you to succeed, and that rang true during my time here. I was met with immense support and opportunities to grow my network to include professionals that aligned with my interests.

What’s a good adjective to describe you?

Ambitious. “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Growing up and hearing this, I only heard the first part, and it made me self-conscious. I’m good at a lot of things, but will the lack of proficiency prevent me from achieving success? I’m so fortunate to have a variety of interests, and I believe the skillsets I came to Tufts with and those that I’ve developed and acquired while studying at Tufts will only support my aspirations wherever they may lead. I am always striving to learn new things and to better myself, and I am excited to see where my ambition takes me within the nutrition and public health field.

Complete the following sentence: “In ten years, I will be…”

Enjoying the journey and still building a path for myself. I consider myself a lifelong learner and am still excited to immerse myself in new opportunities. I don’t know if my path will keep me in nutrition and public health, but I wouldn’t mind. I’m passionate about supporting health education and nutrition interventions for older adults. I recognize there is still research to be done, and I hope I can contribute to the field. Wherever I am in ten years, I know I will be serving my communities and striving to impact the world positively.