Vietnamese American Vies to be "The Scholar" On Reality Show
Nguoi Viet, News Report, Theresa Walker, Posted: Jul 13, 2005
WESTMINSTER, Calif. — For Jeremy Tran’s sake, you hope that nice guys don’t finish last.
His resume gives the Westminster High School senior a good chance to walk away with a free ride to the college of his choice from the TV reality show “The Scholar.”
He graduates this month with a 4.68 grade-point average as Class of 2005 valedictorian.
He aced every advanced-placement class he took in his sophomore and junior years and likely will do the same in the six AP classes he had this year.
He won multiple medals on his school’s Academic Decathlon team, which he captained and led to a second-place finish countywide. And Tran was crowned “Mr. Westminster” at his school’s annual pageant, a title that came with two prom tickets.
Besides which, he’s cute, personable and athletic. Spiky black hair, perfect for television. Girls openly express their admiration for him.
“I want to tell you that I’m so proud of you. You’re my inspiration,” shouts Brittany Lee, a 10th-grader who spots him after school one day on campus.
“I love you,” adds her classmate, Amber Ortiz.
All of the above reasons landed Tran as one of the 10 contestants on “The Scholar.” At 18, he figures one of his best attributes may have been his worst flaw in a competition that had its cutthroat moments: He’s honest, sincere and loves to help people.
For years, he dressed up as the Easter Bunny to hand out eggs at the annual spring festival in Westminster, where he was born and raised.
They even nicknamed him “Mr. Gentleman” on the show.
“I wanted them to win,” he says of competitors who quickly became his friends. “At the same time, I wanted to win. But I told myself, ‘Be true to yourself.’ “
Tran wasn’t sure at first that he would even enter. He finished the 20-page application the day it had to be postmarked, filling it out in class.
The night before, he was up at 2 a.m. taping a 10-minute video as part of the application. He held his Speedos up to the camera when he talked about the water polo and swim teams. He demonstrated his Vietnamese flute when he spoke of his love for music and his culture.
He tried for “The Scholar” because it offered a chance to earn private college tuition, something his family couldn’t afford. He has been accepted to UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Yale and Harvard.
His parents came to Orange County from Viet Nam in 1981, and scratched their way into the middle class through hard work and sacrifice, Tran says. His father is an auto mechanic and his mother assembles parts for heart valves.
“I represent the first generation of students whose parents immigrated and struggled with the culture and with trying to raise their family. I think a lot of people in the audience will relate to that.”
His parents were wary at first about how he would be portrayed on TV, but it was his mom who urged him to apply when he didn’t think he had a chance.
“I never thought a little boy like me could ever be on TV.”
Neither did his sister, Cindy Tran, who attends UCLA and plans to become a dentist.
“When he first told me about the audition tape he was compiling, I really supported him but at the same time, I thought to myself, ‘What are the chances he’ll be chosen?’ Then he made cut after cut,” she added.
Tran’s parents have set up their video recorder to tape the show.
There’s no telling until the show airs how “Mr. Westminster/Mr. Gentleman” did. The producers — and Tran, who is a fan of reality shows — are staying mum so viewers will tune in. “The Scholar,” which has six episodes, began airing June 6 on ABC.
To participate in the show, students had to demonstrate excellence in academics, leadership, creativity and community service.
Sudden-death oral exams administered by a trio of stone-faced college admissions officers winnowed out students.
“Win or lose, we’re all very proud of him,” his sister says. “He is always a winner to us.”
A $240,000 scholarship would be great to come away with, but Tran says just being on the show was priceless.
“Being able to represent not only my family but the Vietnamese community and my school, in particular, on a national level made me feel so proud.”
What else would you expect from a nice kid like him?
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