Profile of Vivian Tran '25

Portrait of Vivian sitting in a studio

Choosing what you want to study is a difficult choice for many—and Jumbos are no exception. From planning for major requirements to considering post-grad life, the journey to declaring your major has a lot of moving parts. However, Tufts students frequently take this chance to combine and create unique possibilities out of their academic interests. Vivian Tran ’25 is one such student because she represents the academic excitement that all Jumbos possess.

As a student in the Combined Degree program seeking a BS in cognitive and brain science (CBS) as well as a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts, Vivian is making the most out of her time both on the Hill and on the SMFA Fenway campus. Her academic and artistic interests converge with her seeing art as a central part of the human experience, filled with phenomena like emotion and perception. “Everyone has a unique internal system. It’s more about what’s already inside your brain than the outside world— it’s all how we view it. And that feels really lonely to me. But art can be the bridge between that distance [with others]. Art is one of the best ways of fostering connection and community.”

With her interdisciplinary approach, Vivian seeks to bridge the understandings of art, perception, and aesthetics. The Combined Degree program allows her to dig deep into what these interests mean to her. “I really want to be an artist in this life… Seeing myself as a scientist, I want to use what I am learning in CBS to make artwork that is universal and is empathic and brave. I want to make work that is able to change people’s lives and how they view the world.”

For Vivian, her college search was rooted in being able to pursue her passions as an artist and a student. “I’m first-gen,” she noted. “My parents don’t really know how to read and write. They don’t speak English. I want to be able to touch people like [them]—without [them] having to go through all of these degrees just to understand art.”

She adds that “when you look at an art piece, it’s going to be a different experience for everyone.” Vivian uses this philosophy to do research at the crux of her art and her studies in CBS. She plans to research the role that generations of family members have played in the formation of art. By doing this, she will discuss how these family ties are expressed and valued through various media. In analyzing history, lineage, and art, Vivian hopes to capture experiences and emotions from those who came before her, with her art serving as a medium toward perceiving the emotions and stories of past generations. Vivian asserts that family histories are rich and well-worth researching through her studies at Tufts. “Research is the one thing that connects us to the world,” she believes.

Vivian also faced the hardships and challenges of being a first-generation international student—in the middle of a pandemic, no less. Despite these obstacles, Vivian credits the wonderful people she met here for helping her feel at home at Tufts. She is particularly drawn to the wonderful support of SMFA’s librarians, specifically Carrie Salazar and Darin Murphy. “My first time coming to Tufts, Carrie drove me from the airport. I was so scared, I was in a new country, I didn’t know anything, it was my first time coming to Tufts.” Vivian remembers Carrie telling her, “‘I’m your auntie here, you can always come to me.’” This admirable relationship between faculty, staff, and students is not uncommon at Tufts, but each relationship is special and unique to each member of the Tufts community.

It is evident that Vivian has what it takes to change the world with her art and her scholarship. Her advice for applicants to Tufts is that “if you carry yourself very highly, it will show in what you do.” We have to agree, Vivian. —BLAKE ANDERSON ’24