The Vietnamese-born girl rose from the past of being discriminated against in Slovakia

Claudia Tran, 28 years old, was born and raised in the Bratislava metropolitan area, Slovakia. Her father is from Hanoi, went to Europe to study and met her mother, a woman from Nam Định, in Warsaw, Poland. The area where Claudia lived at that time had very few Vietnamese people, so the four sisters in the family often became victims of discrimination against Asians.

“As a child, we were mocked and bullied many times. They laughed at us because we looked different from everyone here,” Claudia shared with VnExpress. “I have to say that for a child, this is humiliating. No child deserves to be humiliated and ridiculed like that.”

But the experience of the past of being discriminated against has become the driving force for Claudia to constantly strive for success, erasing Western stereotypes about the Asian minority community.

“What I’m trying to do is show people here a good example, even 10 times better, than their bad experiences with minorities,” she said.

In 2012, Claudia became the representative of Slovakia to attend the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship (BFTF) in North Carolina, USA, which inspired her to participate in many international projects.

The BFTF is a program organized by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State to promote strong relationships and a sense of shared values ​​between young Americans and Europeans. This scholarship program empowers 16-18 year olds to develop leadership, critical thinking, and American foreign policy priorities.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must demonstrate a serious interest in pursuing leadership opportunities in their home country, as well as demonstrate a desire to learn about the people, American society and institutions, according to the BFTF website.

Claudia then started her own initiative called “For Tomorrow’s Europe”, in which she manages international conferences for young people from around the world, mentoring for young people interested in minority issues, with a focus on migration and discrimination.

Through NGOs such as Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Netherlands or Foundation of Milan, Claudia has organized many social activities, international student conferences, cultural and sports events. “These organizations develop educational tools that help eliminate discrimination and prejudice that still exist in many societies,” she said.

Sharing her own childhood experiences of being stigmatized, Claudia is involved in helping international students deal with and overcome the discrimination and ridicule they face.

She has also volunteered to teach English to children in orphanages in Kenya and Ethiopia. “It was only a short experience, but it was a way for me to expand my social experience and volunteering,” she said.

Besides social activities, Claudia also develops herself in other areas. She served as deputy director of corporate relations at the GLOBSEC research institute in Bratislava, which organizes major international conferences and makes foreign and security policy recommendations, or campaign director for the alliance. bipartisan alliance in Slovakia in the 2020 parliamentary elections.

Following the election, she took up a higher position at GLOBSEC, as well as a director of investor relations at the investment firm Crowdberry.

With her career and social successes, Claudia has become one of the 30 faces honored by Forbes Under 30 Slovakia in 2022, like her sister, Lucia Rosemary Simekovawhich was achieved in 2020 by successfully building a chain of Pho restaurants.

She thinks being shortlisted for Forbes Under 30 Slovakia is “a beautiful surprise” and feels grateful that her efforts have been recognized.

Claudia is married and has a 17-month-old son. Besides working hard for her career, one of her big goals right now is to take on the role of a mother well.

“Many people don’t admit motherhood is a job, but I think that work should be recognized,” she said. “It’s a great achievement and milestone in any woman’s life.”

Thanh Tam