Hi, I am Charlie Tran!
Family
I am the twelfth of fifteen children, consisting of 8 brothers and 6 sisters. My parents are from Vietnam, although I have never been. I do not speak Vietnamese. And yes, I know the names of all my siblings, I think.
Childhood
I was raised in Pensacola, Florida. I attended, Lipscomb Elementary School, Brown Barge Middle School, and Pensacola High School’s (PHS) International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
University
I have a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Florida. I am currently a PhD Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida.
Interests
My interests, I consider, are deeply spiritual or morality based. This includes anime such as Frieren and Code Geass, and games such as Tales of Phantasia and Ni No Kuni. Like any other normal person in the world, I do enjoy any movies and games with lots of action, which technically occupy more of my time, but I would not particularly consider them my favorites.
As for music, I enjoy KPOP, although generally much older groups and songs, with much less fan-like interest as I continue to grow older. I suppose songs from IU like “Eight”, some songs by Taeyeon (SNSD), and some songs by Lee Chaeyeon (Iz*One) are ones that I can listen to often. I also very much enjoy listening to piano covers such as Kyle Landry on Youtube, and associated anime songs.
Spiritual Practice
If I must categorize my practice, then I am closest to a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, my practice of which I first became aware of only within these past few years. I was briefly taught by Master Tran at Quan Am Nam Hai Monestary in Panama City, and would truly like to return back during extended breaks and holidays. My goal is to pursue the bodhisattva path so that I may help everyone in this world.
In general, I do not pursue much of any of my time at Buddhist temples themselves, mostly because of my lifestyle as a student. I am quite content with this regardless, as I can be patient, and dedicate my effort for what it is. I do spend a good amount of time around Hindu and sometimes Christian communities to build understanding and awareness.
Charlie Tran 