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Campus Review
October 8, 2014
Terry Tran: From Combat to the Classroom
by Sarah Boyd
HR Leader Mentors Clayton State Students
Clayton State University takes pride in
individuals who have made an impact, in
some way, on the school or the communi-
ty. One such individual is Sieu “Terry”
Tran, who is not only a veteran of the war
in Afghanistan, but a Clayton State stu-
dent who holds the position of president
of the Clayton State Vietnamese Student
Association.
Tran is from Saigon, but grew up in the
Metro Atlanta area where he first became
aware of Clayton State. His choice of
becoming a Clayton State student came
from the close proximity of the school to
his home and the relaxing environment
that the college campus offered.
Tran has had a smooth transition from the
battlefield to civilian life due to the facul-
ty and staff at Clayton State. He notes in
particular Tina Lake, coordinator of the
Veterans Resource Center, and Dr.
Michelle Furlong, professor of Biology
and chair, Department of Natural Science.
“These individuals helped me through a
number of obstacles that would hinder my
transfer (to Clayton State). Without them,
I would not have been able to attend
spring semester of 2014, and my academ-
ic progress would have been delayed,”
says Tran.
Not only has the staff been a tremendous
help, but his professors have had an enor-
mous impact on his college career.
“I have had nothing but great professors
here. They have inspired me in every way
possible,” he says.
Professors such as Dr. Jim Braun, profes-
sor of Chemistry, who introduced him to a
new degree, as well as Dr. Paul Melvin,
associate professor of Biology and
Biology coordinator, Dr. Diane Day, lec-
turer of Biology, and Dr. Chris Kodani,
associate professor of Biology, who
opened up his mind to new and intriguing
information.
The Vietnamese Student Association
(VSA) has given him a sense of security,
uniformity and cohesion that he was miss-
ing from being in combat. His first expe-
rience with the organization was the
Annual Charity Dinner where he was able
to assist in hosting the event as well as
hold the position of the Master of
Ceremonies.
“I loved how students came together so
well to make the event work. It was out of
my expectation,” says Tran.
This event provided the strings that tied
him to the organization, as he was so
impressed with how well everyone
worked for one common goal that he says
it was similar to being on the battlefield.
Through the wonderful professors, facul-
ty, staff and fellow members of VSA, Tran
has been able to smoothly transition from
a hectic environment to a relaxing college
experience. He is now able to make his
dreams real and possibly assist in the
efforts to make other’s dreams real
through his expertise, knowledge and
desire to become successful.
Tran plans to graduate in 2015 where he
then will apply for medical school and
possibly become a commissioned
officer.
Lester Arnold, a Human Resources leader
with close to 25 years experience in the
field, visited Dr. Leon Prieto’s
Management Principles class recently.
Arnold offered advice to the students and
gave them some useful tips to guide them
in their future careers.
“The key points that I learned from Mr.
Arnold were to diversify my experiences
in order to make myself a well-rounded
professional, and also to try as much as
possible to pursue ventures that I am pas-
sionate about,” says Maria Coello, an
Integrative Studies major pursuing a
minor in Business. “I also learned from
Mr. Arnold that an excellent way to break
into the field of Human Resources is to try
to transition to human resource functions
regardless of what job you are initially
hired for and from there build your expe-
riences and networks.”
Arnold’s most recent experience was with
FOCUS Brands Inc., where he served as
the senior vice president of Human
Resources. FOCUS Brands is the fran-
chisor and operator of more than 4,500 ice
cream shoppes, bakeries, restaurants and
cafes in the United States, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico and 63 foreign
countries under the brand names Carvel®,
Cinnabon®, Schlotzsky’s®, Moe’s
Southwest Grill®, Auntie Anne’s®
Pretzels and McAlister’s Deli®.
Prior to FOCUS Brands, Lester held HR
leadership positions at companies like
ARAMARK, Lowe’s, Wachovia (a Wells
Fargo Company), Towers Watson and
MCI. He has also served as adjunct pro-
fessor, guest lecturer, and has participated
on multiple university boards.
“It was an honor and pleasure to speak to
Dr. Prieto’s Management Principles &
Organizational Behavior class,” says
Arnold. “I cannot begin to express how
much I enjoyed my experience with these
students. They were very intrigued and
interested in hearing my story and mes-
sage. The students were very engaging,
attentive, and asked very insightful ques-
tions. I am very optimistic about this
group’s future and impressed by their pas-
sion for their chosen career fields.”