Today we’d like to introduce you to Joline Tran.
Hi Joline, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We started TEDxYouth@MiltonAve in hopes of amplifying the unheard voices of young individuals in the Atlanta-Metropolitan Area. As the former co-organizer of TEDxNorthviewHS, I had the experience of organizing a TEDx event– both in-person and online. However, after organizing TEDxNorthviewHS twice, I realized its lack of inclusivity: those under TEDxNorthviewHS are only students from Northview High. Northview High School is one of the top-rated public high schools in Georgia, and purely focusing on the voices at that school doesn’t bring out a full representation of our community. Even when I started organizing for TEDxNorthviewHS, I always had a strong belief that a Youth TEDx Event should be as inclusive as possible, and TEDxNorthviewHS wasn’t quite the answer I was looking for.
I have a very strong family background; my father is a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide, and I ended up with a last name that doesn’t fully represent my identity. I’ve always feared sharing my family story with others because when I once did, I received insensitive comments about it. Some people claimed that “I was lying” for attention, while some completely misunderstood the story simply because it isn’t a common topic discussed at schools. Because my voice was unheard and I’ve been living behind the shadow of a last name that doesn’t define me, I started this particular TEDx chapter so that I can see others fulfill that dream. I’m sure there are so many people out there that want to share their stories and ideas, and by creating this event, I want to help make it possible for them. And I hope that after seeing them succeed in sharing their powerful, impactful stories, I’ll later have the guts to share mine to the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
We are a relatively new event, so as of now, it’s been a pretty smooth road. I’d also like to reemphasize that this is the third TEDx event I’ve organized (this is my second time organizing an in-person event), so I’ve learned my mistakes from my past to ensure that this event will be better than ever. However, in the past, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. The other co-organizer under TEDxNorthviewHS wasn’t quite sufficient in their communication with our team, which resulted in our event flopping. I was incredibly dissatisfied with the outcome, despite how much work was put in. But contrary, I’m so grateful that I experienced the trials and errors in that event because now, I have a clearer idea of making TEDxYouth@MiltonAve successful.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a current senior at Northview High School, and I’m passionate about expressing and sharing our values: whether that’s through the arts, music, or voice. At school, I’m the Graphic Design Editor-in-Chief of THE MUSE, an award-winning hybrid literary-arts publication, and the founder of the Bullet Journal Club. The practice of bullet journaling heavily inspired me to join THE MUSE because of how similar it is in the designing aspect. In THE MUSE, we do a lot of layout designing that involves combining art and writing into a cohesive piece. I love the idea of combining because as the designer, you are sharing someone’s art, writing, and your design to the community. Similar to organizing TEDxYouth@MiltonAve, being the organizer lets you combine everybody’s amazing, inspirational speeches under one cohesive theme (our theme for this year is “Daring Perspectives).
I’m also an avid musician; I’m the President of the Northview Chamber Music Society in which we go to senior living centers and perform. This form of bonding is so special to me because it gives you this amazing opportunity to showcase what you love and care for and it’s so humanizing uniting as a community. Outside of school, I enjoy teaching piano, penpalling, and playing the violin in the orchestra.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us? I’ve been playing the piano for 12 years, and as a continued player, I have very small hands. From the bottom of my palm to the tip of my middle finger, it’s around 6 inches. I’ve always had a self-conscious awareness that I wouldn’t be good at the piano because my hands weren’t built to be like a pianist’s. I physically couldn’t play any pieces that required fast octaves, and I couldn’t reach a ninth.
I was around 11 years old when I got placed 3rd in my local complete sonata competition. Before that, I always lose competitions because I thought it was because I couldn’t play these complex repertoires. But finally placing 3rd in that competition made me realize that I got placed not because I can execute complex pieces (I didn’t / couldn’t play anything complicated) but because of my passion and musicality I put for piano. I used to base so much of my worth on the difficulty of the pieces I can play, and I never truly focused on being “good” as a pianist musically. And ever since then, most of the pieces I compete aren’t complicated, but I continued to have the drive and passion that resulted in me outperforming those who would play complicated pieces.
Contact Info:
- Website: tedxyouthmiltonave.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedxyouthmiltonave/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tedxyouthmiltonave
