Stephanie Tran, BA, MFA

My name is Stephanie Tran, and I received a B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of San Diego as well as an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Northwestern University. Prior to teaching, I spent nearly a decade as a professional writer and editor in several industries, including science, technology, law, and publishing. Now I’m a Professor of English, and I teach composition, literature, and creative writing at Cypress College.

Student & Department Involvement (Club/program/event): Although I teach English full-time at Cypress, I also hold other administrative positions on campus and across the District: I am the faculty coordinator for the Creative Writing Certificate Program; I serve on the Study Abroad Committee; and I am a Principal Investigator for a California Education Learning Lab AI Grand Challenge Grant with UC Irvine and CSU Fullerton.

Why I Teach: My parents immigrated to the U.S. as refugees of war, and a community college education gave my father opportunity to start a new life. A few decades later, I found myself in a community college night class, wondering what I was going to do with my life. I had earned my B.A., but I had no concrete plan for the future, so I took a creative writing course for personal enrichment. The experience I had in that class made me think: this is my dream job. It inspired me to earn a master’s degree in order to do exactly what I do now: work with community college students to discover and achieve their dreams.

Fun Fact: My hobbies include traveling; hiking, camping, and backpacking; and attending concerts and music festivals.

• ENGL C1000
• ENGL C1000E
• ENGL C1000H
• ENGL C1001
• ENGL C1002
• ENGL C1002H
• ENGL C1003
• ENGL C1003H
• ENGL 128 C
• COUN 135HC