The Van Tran Memorial Bursary – 3rd Annual

Ms. Phung is an individual that has participated and is continuing to contribute to the
Vietnamese community on the University of Alberta Campus. VSA is an organization centered around
interpersonal relationships with a common theme of Vietnamese culture, food, and shared experiences.

Through VSA, Ms Phung has shown empathy, a cooperative nature, exceptional leadership, and
organizational abilities. She has grown into her role at the VSA. Her position as event coordinator showed her great organizational abilities in planning events and programs for 100+ participants over the course of a full year; this feat proved to be more impressive as these were implemented during the height of the covid epidemic. Her quick thinking
and planning shifted in-person programs to online in a timely fashion that was able to provide new
and returning students with a new VSA experience that was safe, functional, and monumental to
developing inter-personal relationships in our Vietnamese community during a period of isolation and
loneliness.

Ms. Phung aims to grow, expand, and give a voice to all university Vietnamese students. A common goal of establishing a community around companionship, culture, and camaraderie in the face of a unique Vietnamese-Canadian experience. She continues to challenge herself and others to bring together a more cohesive, strong, and diverse community that shares in our appreciation for Vietnamese culture.