February 8, 2023
Recently I interviewed Trang Le, the newest staff member here at DAMES! Trang arrives on the scene to fill an administrative support role upon which the department heavily relies, not to mention deeply appreciates, and we couldn’t be happier to see her!
Trang, please tell us about yourself! I know you’re a UNC alum. What was your major?
Hi! I graduated in May 2022 with a History (with an Asia focus!) and Human Development and Family Studies double major, and a Data Sciences minor. I’m not a stranger to DAMES! I took courses with Dr. Pitelka and Dr. Shields when I was a student.
Got any cool hobbies?
Rock climbing! I’m not good at most sports, but I tried this one and I wasn’t bad at it! I was a member of the UNC Rock Climbing Team during undergrad.
For those who want an insider’s opinion, what’s your favorite place on campus to hang out, and why? How about your favorite place to snack or study?
I like the Beach Café for the food options, and the second floor of the UL (interviewer’s note: Undergraduate Library) for the comfy chairs and the quiet.
Is there any particular attribute of the department that interested you about this job and made you apply for it?
The nature of the job: it’s about Asia! I studied Asian history in college, and as someone who is Vietnamese, I’ve always been interested in studying Asia in the academic sense. The idea of being able to help this department grow and flourish really spoke to me.
You’ve worked here for a few months now. As a previous student and now a professional here in DAMES, has your perspective about the department changed?
My understanding of how a university department functions has definitely grown. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff I didn’t know about before. I’m only just now starting to figure out how it all works. I have more appreciation for all the moving parts!
Finally, what experiences are you hoping to have here at DAMES?
I’m excited to speak with the professors here about their research! I’m also excited to be able to take classes (here in the department) as an employee. Since a lot of my academic life as a student happened during COVID, I see my time here in DAMES as a second chance to experience UNC the way it deserves to be experienced: in person.
