Celebrating Pride: Meet Cuong Tran
At NASA, diversity and inclusion drive workplace creativity, innovation and mission success. For Pride Month, we’re celebrating the stories of our LGBTQ and allies community.
What is your role at NASA?
I am an Electrical Engineer at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). My job is to analyze the performance of the Electrical Power Systems for space flight vehicle.
How long have you worked here?
I have been with Kennedy Space Center for 2 years.
Are you a member of an LBGTQ Employee Resource Group at your center?
Yes, I am a member of the KSC LGBT Employees & Allies Network.
What are some of the events or initiatives that you’ve participated in with the group?
I attended the Orlando Pride Parade 2019. It was my first time walking at a Pride parade and it was even more special to walk with NASA.
How have you been positively influenced by your participation in this group?
As an immigrant who moved to the U.S. at a young age, no one around me believed that I could have made it through school. I have constantly worked so hard to pursue an education, which landed me a career at NASA. I am constantly reminding myself to be grateful with what I have and encouraging younger people to pursue a good education for a brighter future. I believe that I have proved to younger immigrants that with all of the time and hard work you invest, it will be paid off at the end. Recently, I participated in the Kennedy Space Center Call for Unity town hall and shared my racism experience as an Asian immigrant and received lots of positive feedback from everyone who attended, especially the Asian American community at Kennedy Space Center, and my friends.
What is your background?
I was born and raised in Vietnam and moved to the U.S. with my mom and younger brother when I was 14. During my high school year and as an undergraduate, I worked part time as a nail technician to support my mom and my brother. After obtaining my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, I continued to further my education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering while I started my internship within the U.S. Army, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Kennedy Space Center.
Why did you chose to work at NASA and what makes you stay?
I chose to work at NASA because of the work that I get to do here. From protecting our planet, to sending robots and humans into space to explore our solar system, to developing new technologies to assist humans on Earth, etc. I love that our work at NASA gets recognized by the public. I chose to stay at NASA because of the family-oriented culture, the work-life balance, and the diversity within NASA.
What has been your favorite project or memory from your time here?
My most favorite memory was the first day I started my job at NASA. I was excited to be a part of the big team that makes history. I am now proud to call myself a part of the program that brought American astronauts back into space from American soil in almost a decade.
Why is working in a diverse environment critical to our mission?
During my time at NASA, I get to work with people from different backgrounds and gain knowledge from them every single day. I see no limitation in gaining knowledge from bright minded people who come from different parts of the world as well as sharing my knowledge with them. All of the projects and missions are successful because of the hard work from the diverse community at NASA.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Outside of work, I like to keep myself active. I enjoy spending time with my partner, hanging out with my friends, cooking, traveling, and engaging my fitness life style. Over the past 3 months of quarantine, I have focused a lot more on taking care of myself like practicing yoga and growing more plants. You know, happy plants, happy life.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
If I could go anywhere in the world, I would choose to go to Vietnam. Vietnam will always be the home that I miss. Vietnam is a charming country with amazing French and Chinese influenced cuisine, and beautiful people.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment is to be the first person in the family who graduated from college and to be working at NASA. It is the dream that I could never dream of. I am proud to be an Asian American and to be able to make meaningful contributions to the country. I have found my American Dream.
