When he was a kid, Gary Tran was convinced he was going to be an astronaut, until he realized the lack of money made in that field, and later a lack of passion, leaving him grounded. 

“I figured out that astrophysicists like Neil deGrasse Tyson don’t actually make that much money unless you’re an influencer like him,” Tran said. “So I was like, ‘Okay, aerospace engineering,’ … then I got into internships, and I had two internships by the time it was the end of my freshman year.

“After I had those experiences, they weren’t great, and engineering wasn’t what I expected.” 

Tran then hit a wall, becoming disinterested in engineering, and asked himself if he could commit to the program for four years and continue that job into his life. 

“I didn’t want to look forward to the weekends every single week of my life,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a very good way to live your life.” 

‘Journey to medicine’

Pretty soon after, Tran was introduced to the world of medicine, where he found joy. In this field, he could still rely on his analytical mind. He later added a degree in health science in addition to engineering.

“I wanted to show that I was committed to medicine … technically I don’t need this piece of paper, but it’s good to have it because … I want to prove somehow in some sort of writing that ‘Hey, I’m also competent in this field,’” he said. 

Tran’s favorite experience so far from his “journey to medicine” was studying under Dr. Elaine Fan, a pediatric hematologist oncologist. 

“I went into it thinking it’s a pretty sad field, like kid cancer … it’ll probably be my first time experiencing death at (a patient’s) bedside,” he said. “I loved it, I loved it so much that that’s what I want to do now.” 

He said he loved it because it gave him the ability to help people and be there to comfort them in difficult times.

“She (also) preached work-life balance and prioritizing mental health, which I was like, ‘Oh, I love that,’ because I feel like a lot of people in my two fields can be pretty toxic. Their mentality is ‘work harder and harder.’”

Fan said that Tran works very well with the children and families that come through Wesley Hospital, and that she and her co-workers were happy to work with him. 

She said one of her proudest moments was when Tran presented research on pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia to a panel. 

“He did research and gave dissertation-level work as an undergraduate,” she said, also describing him as “dedicated and motivated.” 

Prioritization, balancing and time management skills

Tran said he is different from his pre-med and engineering peers, who tend to brag about their lack of sleep. 

“They all talk about not getting very much sleep, running on three hours or whatever. If I don’t get 10 to 14 hours of sleep, I don’t function well,” he said. “I’m just one of those people who needs more sleep than others.” 

He said that balancing his two degrees, spending time with family and friends, participating in his hobbies, being involved on campus and making sure he gets enough sleep at night was a struggle. 

“It takes priority,” he said. “My freshman and sophomore year, I maybe didn’t prioritize the mental health, sleep and friends (aspects) as good. It’s really just your priorities and what my immediate goal is.

“Recently, it’s been applying to medical school, so I’ve taken a lot away from the extracurriculars I’m in and shifting the focus to studying for the MCAT and working on my application.” 

Tran has had a lot of practice balancing extracurriculars. He plays pickleball with friends, takes care of his plants as a “plant dad,” and has been involved in several student organizations. He’s been the president of the Engineering Honor Society for two years and in 2025 was the vice president of Engineers Without Borders. 

“We (were) planning an engineering project to build a bridge out in Ecuador and then also in Bolivia, fixing their local water supply and (building) a rain catch system,” he said. “I never got to go out there, but it still feels good to be able to help another community.” 

For a majority of his college career, he was also one of the WuShock mascot wearers for admissions. 

“This year, I’ve taken a step back,” he said. “I kind of want to enjoy my senior year.” 

Go off trajectory, opportunities are waiting

Tran wants people to know that it’s important to be able to adapt quickly when it comes to shifting goals.

“It’s ok if (the goals) take you off of your trajectory a little bit, because you don’t know what opportunities are going to bring you,” he said. “I wasn’t even interested in pediatric oncology, and I was like, ‘might as well try it, it’s a sad field. I’d love to see the kiddos, and then all of the sudden I absolutely fell in love with it. 

“I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t just shift my priorities slightly.” 

He said that the step away from his aerospace engineering focus has helped rekindle some of that love and passion he used to have for the field. He’s working on finding the balance of holding that passion on the side but not as a main focus.

The field of medicine has become a great passion for him, and Tran said that he’s so grateful for the opportunities he got from his Rudd scholarship. 

The Rudd scholarship is a four-year, full-ride opportunity for Pell grant-eligible students. 

When Tran was accepted into the program, he was selected from a pool of nearly a thousand applicants as part of a 30-person cohort.

“Without Rudd, I wouldn’t become a doctor because I’d be in debt,” he said. “A lot of people think I’m pursuing these two fields for money … As long as I can take care of my family and give them a solid foundation, I don’t care how much money I make. If I wanted money, I would keep with aerospace engineering, move up the corporate ladder.”

“It’s been a blessing and an honor,” Danielle Temel, program manager for Rudd, said. “Just watching him grow and actually push himself to get both majors, not a lot of students can handle the workload and handle the credit hours and make it happen.

It’s the passion — not the money — pushing him towards medical school and into a career beyond 

“Why would I go to eight years of school and do this if I wanted the money?”

Next steps

Tran said he’s applied to nearly 40 medical schools, interviewed with three and was waitlisted for another three. 

“The wait list doesn’t really move until the end of April, early May, so right at graduation,” he said. “I have to wait until basically graduation day or a little bit after to figure out what I’m going to do, which kind of sucks … A lot of (others) are also in No Man’s Land, trying to figure out jobs.

“Hopefully, I can make someone feel better about themselves, knowing it’s okay not to know. I’m probably going to take a gap year if I don’t get off the wait list and work full time … and then reapply to medical school.” 

He said he’s excited about the possibility of moving out of the state, since he’s grown up in Wichita. He’s looking forward to new scenery and chances to meet new people. 

“I feel like I’m a pretty independent person, and I love to make connections and stuff, so (I’m) really excited and hope I could go out of state,” he said. “I want to experience a different community. I’ve always had the Wichita community behind me … it’s a great place to settle down, not a great place for me wanting to thrive in my 20s.” 

But most of all, he’s excited to experience something different from what he grew up with. 

“Gary’s just so fun and a great person,” Temel said. “I love watching him go towards his dreams.”