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Mostly Cloudy Meet Glen Cove High School valedictorian Brooke Tran
High school graduates in the Class of 2023 have been through a lot in the past four years. Most of their high school career was affected dramatically by the Covid-19 pandemic, but students like Brooke Tran, Glen Cove High School’s valedictorian, have not only managed to overcome the stress, but to thrive despite it.
Tran comes from a family of high achievers. Her older brother, Matthew, was valedictorian in 2021, and her sister, Evelyn, ranked in the senior class’s top five that same year.
Much like her siblings, Brooke, 18, has always liked school — especially science courses — but she has known for some time that she wanted a career in health care. Her father, an emergency physician at Glen Cove Hospital, inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. She has been accepted by Purdue University as a pre-med major.
“When I was younger, my dad really awed me,” Tran said, “and as a young kid, I was always extremely fascinated with medical procedures. I wasn’t the type to shy away from blood, or TV shows where someone’s leg gets cut off and it starts spewing blood, or other grotesque things. It’s weird, but I love being in hospitals.”
Her journey to a successful academic career included music. Her first instrument was the piano.
“My mother … plays the piano,” Tran said. “When she was younger, she didn’t have the money to invest in private lessons, so she always wanted to give her children the opportunity to have that experience.”
As a third-grader, she was inspired by her older brother to play the violin, but she dropped an early-morning orchestra class in seventh grade to pursue her passion for volleyball. She has played on the varsity team, and has also competed for Club Ace Long Island, a travel volleyball club.
As Tran grew up, she appreciated the wisdom and advice her teachers have shared. English teacher Valerie Stazzone helped her through a difficult time. Earlier this year, Tran faced the end of a friendship, and she turned to Stazzone for guidance.
“She was very kind, and gave me a lot of words of wisdom that I think really helped me to pull through this year,” Tran said. “She believed in me, and that really helped when I felt I didn’t have too much support. One of the things she said was, ‘If you’re not happy, then that’s a sign that something’s wrong with a relationship, whether it be platonic, romantic, or any sort of relationship.’”
Tran was class president from her freshman to junior years, serving as a liaison between the administration and the student body. One of the challenges she faced, she said, was striking a balance between appealing to her class as a whole while consider the input of students with opposing views on school issues and activities, all while working with limited resources amid the pandemic. She said that although she tried her best, people clearly had high expectations.
“It was very hard to hear about people talking about me behind my back, and just criticizing the way I do things,” Tran said. “It took some strength to really put those comments in the back of my head and just keep doing what I thought was best, and what I was capable of.”
Those who know her well say that, aside from her academic accomplishments, Tran is a young woman with tremendous character, determination and grace. Among her other activities, she volunteers at the Shelter Rock Church in Manhaset, where she has also taught Sunday school.
“Although her academic talents are undisputable, what stands out to me is that she is a compassionate human being,” Tran’s guidance counselor, Margie Tockman, said. “If you ask Brooke what her biggest accomplishment is, she’ll say that it was staying true to herself and remaining a kindhearted person.”
Tran offers one piece of advice to her fellow classmates, which mirrors what Stazzone told her. Pursuing happiness, Tran said, is a form of self-care, and keeping that in mind will help them succeed in all areas of their lives.
