Student Spotlight: Kimberly Tran

It’s back-to-school month at UCI! Meet incoming Anteater and future nurse practitioner Kimberly Tran, class of 2024.

Why do you want to be a nurse practitioner?

One of the happiest moments in my life is being a nursing student. I have acquired my best friends through nursing school, and I grew my passion for helping others. However, Nursing was not my first career choice. I have always enjoyed arts and wanted to be an architect. But being surrounded by a family generation of doctors and nurses who shared their incredible stories of compassion, altruism, and dedication to their patients, I am glad I decided to be one of them.

As a student, I learned how to empathize and care for our community from the cradle to the grave. As I matured in my vocation to serving others, I learned how to empower others to achieve their optimal health. I also enjoy learning as much as I enjoy teaching. It gives me a sense of fulfillment to mentor aspiring nurses and support them in fulfilling their potential. With my passion for improving my patient’s health comes my commitment to lifelong learning. Florence Nightingale once said, “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses. We must be learning all of our lives.”

Throughout my nursing journey, healthcare continuously evolved, and medical treatments and diagnoses are becoming more complex. I am motivated to explore and learn more about our evolving healthcare. I aspire to become an advanced practice registered nurse to learn primary care, stressing the importance of preventive measures and health education.

Why did you choose UCI School of Nursing?

I am proud to be a UC Irvine nurse, and I have experienced firsthand our nurturing and supportive culture, not only to our patients but also to our team of doctors, residents, nurses and ancillary staff.

I am confident that studying the Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) program with UCI, which is devoted to their student’s success, would provide me with the academic knowledge and clinical skills that I need for the future when I hope to begin leading projects dedicated to addressing the primary care crisis.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I have traveled 30 countries.