The Ford School recognizes Brooke H. Tran (MPP ‘25) as the 2023 Kohn Scholar. Tran joins the 2022 Kohn Scholar, Lizett Aguilar (MPP ‘24) in this honor. Kohn Scholars are chosen for their outstanding qualifications and commitment to public service and advancing social policy. The fellowship is a Ford School Rackham Master's Award, one of the Ford School's and the University of Michigan's highest honors. With it, students receive two years of full tuition, a stipend, and health and dental care.
Informed by her experiences as a first-generation student from a low-income, refugee/immigrant community in southern California, Tran’s undergraduate research investigated cultural capital and educational persistence and tracking. Her inquiries were also shaped by numerous student-centered roles: AmeriCorps Academic Mentor, Undergraduate Admissions Campus Events Manager, Resident Assistant, and Student Body Vice President.
Prior to starting graduate school, Tran served as a racial equity council member for NewSchools Venture Fund and interned with her home State Senate district in California (CA-36). She aims to pursue a career in social policy in the areas of education equity, urban and regional planning, or anti-poverty programs after completing her master’s degree. Tran received a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in data science, sociology, and film studies at the University of the Pacific (Stockon, CA).
Funding for the Kohn Scholars is part of a $17 million gift from Harold L. and Carol K. Kohn and the Kohn Charitable Trust to establish the Kohn Collaborative for Social Policy. This transformative gift also includes five Kohn professorships that will build on and expand the school's expertise and impact in social policy.