Gone too soon – Ke Vinh Tran

Gone too soon – Ke Vinh Tran

 This campaign is being created by friends to help the family of Ke Vinh pay for funeral expenses and alleviate any financial worries during this difficult time.  Ke Vinh grew up in San Mateo and was a Junior at Aragon High School.  He was taken too soon from this world on May 20, 2017 at the young age of 16.  His memory, spirit, generosity and smile will not be forgotten by those whose lives he touched.  Any donation amount would be appreciated and helpful.

Below is more about Ke Vinh’s story, a message from his Mother Anh, and wise words from Ke Vinh that he shared with friends. 

 

Ke Vinh Tran was a great young man. He always put as much effort into whatever he did.  He never accepted being good at something, he always wanted to be the best.  And he never got discouraged when he wasn't the best. He just used that as motivation to work harder. 

 

His school work was always his first priority. Taking three AP classes this year gave him quite a workload but he never complained about it.  Even with these difficult classes he still had straight A's or the occasional B. Learning to read, write and speak Chinese was his favorite subject. In fact his Chinese handwriting was probably better than his English handwriting.

 

Ke Vinh's future would have been bright. He was planning to attend college and study computer science. Ke Vinh had taken an AP test, not because he was forced to but because he knew he could get a scholarship and save his mom some money on his college cost.  He had this same mentality of putting others first in all aspects of his life. At school he was always smiling and always willing to help. Whether this was a close friend or someone he just met, he would always go out of his way to help someone else.

 

Food was another one of Ke Vinh's favorite things. While that sounds a little odd because we all have to eat, he would always remember where he got the best tacos or the best sushi from. Even as a kid, he wasn't afraid to try new things to eat. Fish sauce and shrimp paste don't sound appetizing to many people, but after he tried them he really enjoyed them. 

 

Besides school and eating, Ke Vinh spent his time playing basketball or break dancing. He had an intense desire to improve at both of these. He would spend time on YouTube learning new moves and then spend hours practicing them until he could perform the moves flawlessly. 

 

Sadly, Ke Vinh's time with us was cut short. Those of us who got to know him are lucky to have memories of him. Hopefully he can continue to help his friends, not face to face anymore, but by honoring his memory and putting all our effort into improving. Then, after we have improved, turning to those around us and helping them. And although it may be hard, smiling. Amongst all his friends, one common memory from them is his smile. 

 

Ke Vinh wrote: 

After going through my own struggles and challenges, I have come to the conclusion that it is simply impossible to please everyone. That everyone will have conflicting opinions of what is right and wrong. During my school experience, I have learned an important lesson. People will tell you that you shouldn't quit. But that is not quite true. The correct phrase should be worded as "you shouldn't quit at things you're passionate about." And as I grow older and start finding myself in life, I have realized that you need to figure out what your priorities in life are. In order to not overload and burn yourself out, you need to do what makes you happy and find stuff that you are passionate about. And if you don't enjoy what you're doing, then you shouldn't be doing it at all. Although as hard as it seems, sometimes you may have to cut out the things that don't make you happy. I have experienced what it is like to continue doing something that brings false enjoyment, and I will no longer put myself under that illusion. To conclude, the moral that I'm trying to emphasize is that life is short and you need to do what makes you happy, despite any criticism that you might receive. Know what's best for you, and create your own path. 

 

In loving Memory of Ke Vinh Tran 09/09/2000 - 05/20/2017