Preuss School Junior Wins
National Prize as an
Outstanding Young Hero, Leader

September 23, 2008

By Pat JaCoby

Paul Tran, 16, a junior at The Preuss School at the University of California, San Diego, has been named one of 10 national winners of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes which honors “outstanding young leaders who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet.”

Tran will receive $2,500 to apply to higher education or to his service project.

A recent first place and Senior Division Sweepstakes winner in the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair, Tran founded the service project, Building Understanding and Determination in Developing Youth (BUDDY). The peer tutoring and mentorship program has helped more than 5,000 low-income students struggling in math and science. BUDDY trains student volunteers to tutor children after school and on weekends and to teach literacy at Boys and Girls Clubs. It also has partnered with schools and public libraries to conduct LEGO robotics workshops.

“I’ve learned I have the tenacity and courage to create change in my community,” Tran says.

Tran started BUDDY three years ago as a way to help students, like himself, from low-income families. He partnered with high tech companies, foundations, and colleges to raise $19,000 in funding for the program. BUDDY now involves more than 120 student tutors and thousands of tutored students. Tran has spoken on Capitol Hill in support of a Congressional bill that mandates science, technology, engineering, and math programs in every public high school.

Last Spring, Tran was one of four winners of first place and Senior Division Sweepstakes Award in the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair for his project using a protein found in the blood to prevent the metastasis of prostate cancer. He worked on the project in a summer Physician Scientist Training Program at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Tran entered the Preuss School in the sixth grade and says, “without reservation, I owe much of my success to Preuss … Preuss equipped me with the tools I need to be competitively eligible for college. It was through Preuss that I was connected with the Physician Scientist Training Program, the first robotics program, and the science fair.”

Tran says his goal is to be the first in his family to go to college, medical school, and attain both M.D. and  Ph.D. degrees.

The Barron Prize for Young Heroes, based in Boulder, CO, was founded in 2001 by author T.A. Barron and was named for his mother, Gloria Barron. Each year, the Barron Prize selects 10 winners nationwide. Half of the winners have focused on helping their communities and fellow human beings; half have focused on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment. T.A. Barron says the purpose of the prize is “to share positive examples of heroism with as many young people as possible.”

The Preuss School is a middle and high school dedicated to providing an intensive college preparatory education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. The school is jointly chartered by the San Diego Unified School District and the University of California, San Diego.

Media Contact: Pat JaCoby, 858-534-7404