Published 10/9/2024 by Praniti Gulyani
As National Transfer Student Week approaches fast, "We Are Cal" shines its blue-and-gold spotlight to explore the diversity of transfer students at UC Berkeley and give their stories the platform that they deserve. First on our list is Hana Tu Trieu, a Senior at Cal who is pursuing a major in English. A part of Vagabond, the Creative Writing Comparative Literature Journal at UC Berkeley, Hana also works as a Residential Safety Ambassador by night, working closely to ensure safety of the residence halls.
As I visit Hana in the Martin Luther King Building to learn more about her story, she greets me with a welcoming smile. Even though we’ve not known each other for a very long time, Hana instantly offers me juice and cookies, a strong symbol of her hospitable nature as someone with Vietnamese and Mexican heritage. For once, I don’t have to begin the conversation. Hana starts talking about the beginning of her journey at UC Berkeley, with an emphasis on the essential sadness that being away from home brought with it.
“When my parents left, I decided to treat myself to dinner. However, eating alone in a new place, and trying to find a restaurant that I thought would be good was harder than I thought. Eventually, I found myself resorting back to commonly known fast-food chains, not because it reminded me of home, but because it was the only thing that I knew and recognized,” she says, describing how she sought initial solace in the most unexpected place— food.
Describing the little things that made Berkeley seem like home, Hana talks about her roommates, and how she instantly forged a close relationship with them. “I felt like I was home when I was around my roommates and friends. We would do so many things together, such as homework. And when I would come back after a long day, and see that my roommate was sleeping soundly in her bed, there was something about this sight that made my dorm seem like home,” she explains.
Throughout her undergraduate career at Berkeley so far, Hana emphasizes how her multi-ethnic identity helped her adapt very quickly to the diverse environment that Cal offers. “The biggest thing about being multi-ethnic, you can adapt very well. I don't think I had a problem finding a community for myself, because there are so many communities here at Cal. It is very easy to meet people with similar values, similar hobbies and interests.” she says.
However, Hana says that in her experience, personality surpasses all.
“While cultural identity is important to an extent, the personalities of my friends are what drew me in. There are so many different perspectives and mindsets towards things, and I don’t feel pushed towards one particular mindset. Coming home from Berkeley, I did notice that there were certain conservative opinions that my family had. However, I now understood where they were coming from, and I was also increasingly aware of how they perceived. That’s Berkeley for you. The diversity teaches you how to respect people for who they are,” she smiles.