Khoa Tran: admired for his football abilities and kind soul. Khoa can always put a smile on someone’s face… or take it off when you see him running at you in a football game. While having a late start to the team, he has proven a countless number of times why he deserves to be there. Khoa shines on the football field, as well as off the field where he participates in many clubs on Westmont’s campus. Give a warm welcome to Khoa as he takes you on his football journey, plus gives you some warm-hearted advice.
When did you start playing football?
“I think I started playing football when I was bored in the summer of my freshman year of 2023? During this time I was bored and couldn’t get the usual enjoyment I do from playing the games I used to play. And so I overheard my big brother being a really good footballer after coming to America, hoping I could replicate even a fraction of his talent. I had decided that I was gonna give football a whirl, during the summer they do lots of conditioning. I joined it really late and did conditioning and training hand in hand. Somehow I found myself tangled in a very loving community.”
What position do you enjoy playing the most?
“I honestly never tried anything else besides the many roles in D-Line since I can’t really catch or throw all that well…”
What’s your favorite thing about playing football?
“It made me think about my health a lot more, people wouldn’t believe I used to carry around a bag of chips and sweets to school every day, as well as making me enjoy my time a lot more interacting with people, I used to be somewhat of an introvert, now I can confidently say I am somewhat better at socializing.”
What has been your most memorable experience with football?
“Umm I am kinda indecisive when it comes to my experiences, having to do 21 one-tens, one tens are timed runs from one end of the football field to the other excluding the track and bleachers, or bopping to California Gurl and Unwritten, by Natasha Bedingfield with da boys. Both experiences are extremes on the emotional spectrum, though I might wanna exclude the bopping to girly songs due to the saying “What happens in football stays in football,” but hopefully they won’t mind.”
Do you have a pregame routine?
“My little sister introduced me to Chappell Roan and just like how iPad kids forget a time before their devices I honestly forgot what it was like before listening to Hot To Go before a game.”
What are you excited about this season?
“I am excited to hopefully play a key role in winning a home game in front of all my friends and family, it is a pipe dream now of course, but I still hold out that piece of hope because it is the thing keeping me sane in the heat.”
Do you see a future playing football?
“I don’t see me playing football in college or professionally, maybe casually? But due to the fact that I plan on being a physician or someone in the medical field I have given up on that dream of playing football for the money and football has its fair share of injuries, many of which can cause lasting damage that can affect my permanent health. So unless I get a scholarship or find some way to pay for the expensive health insurance after I lose Medi-Cal I shall remain holding on to mere dreams.”
Who would you thank for your successes in football?
“I would thank my big brother, coaches and fellow players for pushing me past my comfort zone once I took the step to try to succeed. Although I can’t really say I have succeeded just yet.”
What’s your favorite food?
“I simply have too many, whether it be the basic Vietnamese dishes I grew up with, Pho and Banh mi Cha with Pate or the American dishes I love, Orange chicken/ fried chicken, pancakes and hashbrowns. But I personally think that Curry is the best, easy to make, very healthy, and hard to get sick of.”
What’s your favorite class?
“I think that Biology class was my favorite due to the sheer amount of people I had become acquainted with, yes it was nice to meet Lili Metanovic as well, the sheer difficulty of Biology in our freshmen minds had made it easier to socialize with other students.”
What’s your favorite post-game meal?
“Sweets! Yes, sweets, sweets make sleeping much much easier, due to the carb crash that happens, though I have become boring and now eat birthday cake flavored protein bars.”
Is there anything else you would like to say?
“Yes, if I had a tip to give it would be to utilize summaries, videos online and mastering short Cornell notes TO SKIP ALL NIGHTERS. Those long sleepless nights right before a test can be remedied by a soothing video online, sometimes skipping on reading might even be worth it, all I’m saying is that sleep is precious and affects all things. For me, a symptom of my lack of sleep is borrowing vocabulary from the people and entertainment I watch/ listen to. I accidentally laughed at a joke out loud that I didn’t get from a friend a long time ago and when my manager asked, “Why are you laughing?” I said Skibidi Toilet Rizz. Needless to say that although I didn’t get fired I now carry a vibe of brain rot to my coworkers at Poke House, sorry I can’t give employee discounts. Don’t let sleep deprivation happen and something tells me you aren’t gonna read those Cornell notes again anyways.”
