Sylvia Tran is the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement's Student Leader of the Week for Nov. 14 - 20. Tran is from Fort Smith and is majoring in biology. She is secretary of the Volunteer Action Center, vice president of the Lao American Organization, community service coordinator for the Vietnamese Student Association and the youth program coordinator for the OMNI Center of Fayetteville.

Since her freshmen year, Tran has participated in many of the Volunteer Action Center's programs. Through the VAC, she has learned that there's so much more one can do, than occasionally give up one's time for service. She became involved in these activities as she loves teaching people her Vietnamese culture and helping other groups share their own culture. She hopes through education, people can see how important diversity is in any environment.

Tran finds a leader as a person with an open mind, a vision and with an ability to organize the actions to fulfill that vision. "Many times a leader will encounter constructive criticism and it may be hard to hear, no matter how 'constructive'," Tran explained. "Mistakes will be made. It's a learning process. If you have yet to make a mistake, maybe you should be up here instead! Also, don't do all the work by yourself. If you have other officers, they are there for a reason. Each officer may have different tasks, but everyone should put in the same amount and quality of work."

Tran's most memorable Razorback moment when she was on the Humphreys resident hall's homecoming parade float, as she had the chance to throw out candy to the crowd while riding down Dickson on the float. Her favorite quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

The Student Leader of the Week award recognizes a University of Arkansas undergraduate student for excellence in leadership through campus involvement leadership activities or through volunteer and community service programs.

The criteria for nominated students are:

• Good academic and disciplinary standing with the University of Arkansas
• Exemplifies leadership through personal development,  organizational leadership, citizenship and community building.

The Center for Leadership and Community Engagement invites the campus community to nominate students who fit the qualifications. All nomination forms should be submitted to Adrain Smith, assistant director of leadership in the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, Arkansas Union room A665, or via e-mail at atsmith@uark.edu by the first Friday of each month. All nominations will be kept on file and considered for future weeks.