Rosemead’s Winter Sunshine: Leyna Tran

Leyna Tran is someone I and many others have been privileged to get to know over the years here at RHS. From the stage to the classroom, she is known for her unwavering diligence, killer sense of style, and refreshing optimism. This is why I asked her to have a seat in the library with me for a quick chat about not only how she manages her responsibilities in her clubs and classes, but also her personal life; all while remaining so poised. 

Leyna, who is now President of K-Roses, RHS’s electric dance club, joined during her freshman year after being wowed by their performance of StayC’s “ASAP” at her very first ‘Big R’ assembly. She wasn’t originally super big on K-Pop as a genre, but had been dancing all her life, and saw this as an opportunity to step out of her comfort zone as a naturally shy person. She attributes the welcoming and kind community in K-Roses to why she has remained so dedicated to the club. As President, she emphasizes instilling confidence in her members by acknowledging their progress and reassuring them of their skills. For her, the highlight of being in K-Roses “happens on stage when [she] can hear people cheering, see her members enjoy themselves, and show people the results of their practices and rehearsals.” 

Outside of K-Roses, Leyna is recognized for many things, most notably her time in CSF (California Scholarship Federation) and NHS (National Honors Society). She values the discipline these clubs push for, “the prestige [of it] being something [she] admired.” One year, Leyna missed the deadline to apply for CSF, and after being told by her counselor that there was nothing she could do, took this as a learning opportunity. Since then, she has recognized the importance of staying on top of things by managing her time well, and paying extra attention to what needs to be done to fulfill her responsibilities. Leyna also shared with me the four pillars of NHS that she values: scholarship, service, leadership, and character, which speaks to her dedication to the club’s core tenets. 

Outside of school, Leyna keeps up with her busy schedule by lifting heavy weights as a hobby. She can bench her body weight and did her first pull-up on Christmas Day, one of the goals she set that year. Another one of her original goals when she started exercising years back was to become thinner, but as she started prioritizing herself, she realized it wasn’t what she wanted. “I didn’t see a point in becoming thinner if I couldn’t do the things that made me happy, like dancing,” she explained. To Leyna, exercise is an outlet for her to push herself and remember the importance of consistency. 

Individually and quietly, she often chooses to express herself through her art. As a performer, she chooses to focus on feminine, flowy movements to communicate through dance as opposed to her K-Roses secretary, Ryan Tan, who uses popping and locking to add visual flair. In addition to her experience with performing arts, Leyna spends her free time creating visual art, dedicating time once a week to projects of various levels, with a simple pencil and paper being her favorite tools of the medium. When I questioned the “How?” behind it all, Leyna stated that also prioritizing her happiness has been how she manages to survive her hectic schedule. She mentioned it was like a survival tactic, which I find similar to Waymond Wang’s quote in the film Everything Everywhere All At Once, which reads, "When I choose to see the good side of things, I'm not being naive. It is strategic and necessary. It's how I've learned to survive through everything. I know you see yourself as a fighter. Well, I see myself as one too. This is how I fight." She strongly recommends seeking this balance, especially now with the pressure put on students to meet standards that seem never ending. 

This strength pervades Leyna’s life, thoughts, and choices; the things she’s learned over the years form a mosaic of knowledge, passion, and sincerity that I believe helps her stand out from the many faces at Rosemead High School.