Spring 2007 MS SAE Graduate Cindy Tran Honored by Both the Orange County and San Fernando Vally Engineers Councils

February 17, 2007 — Spring 2007 MS Systems Architecture and Engineering graduate Cindy Tran was recognized on February 17 by the Orange County Engineering Council as the Council's Young Engineer of Year (nominated by USC Adjunct Associate Professor Jim Hines), and as a member of the Boeing Systems Engineering Young Engineers Team, which won a special Youth Community Mentoring Award; and again on February 18 by the San Fernando Valley Engineers Council for the Outstanding Engineering Achievement of Year.  Both awards were made at the respective Councils' Annual Honors and Awards Banquet, held each year during Engineer's Week. 

Cindy recently took a job with the Defense Contract Management Agency.  Prior to joining DMCA, she worked for the Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, California. She joined Boeing in March 2003 as a Program Analyst/Software Engineer with the Delta Test Requirements Documentations System (TRD) for Delta IV rocket.  Her duties included programming the software and performing testing for the TRD application. Prior to joining Boeing, Cindy served in the US Navy for five years where she was an IT Specialist/Webmaster/Project Manager for Personnel Support Activity San Diego. Her duties included overseeing 18 System Administrators for 18 detachments all over the United States and being the lead for several projects. She was voted as Sailor of the Quarter in 1998.

Cindy’s passion for her work extends beyond her technical activities. She has a commitment to the community and in particular to the youth of the community. She has organized and participated in a number of activities at local schools and church organizations to bring the wonder of science and engineering to young people. She is sponsoring five students to finish high school in Vietnam. She taught at a local school as a volunteer for eight years and was voted as Teacher of the Year in 2003. She has held many community service events for the Boeing young employees to serve the community including feeding the homeless, visiting elders, talking to students about science and technology, packing food at Orange County Foodbank, organizing Child Christmas Events for neediest kids, assisting at the Special Olympics, sponsoring kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Boys & Girls club and pairing these kids with Boeing employees.

Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and a Master of Science Degree in Software Engineering.  She will receive her second Master of Science Degree in Systems Architecting and Engineering from USC's Epstein ISE Department this May 2007.

Cindy is married and lives with her husband, David, and daughter, Jasmine, in Southern California.



Cindy Tran accepting her award for Outstanding Engineering Achievement of Year at the San Fernando Valley Engineers' Council's 52nd Annual Honors and Awards Banquet in Studio City.



A view from the dais of the the San Fernando Valley Engineers' Council's 52nd Annual Honors and Awards Banquet.



The 2007 award winners at the San Fernando Valley Engineers' Council's 52nd Annual Honors and Awards Banquet.



Cindy Tran accepting her award as the Young Engineer of Year at the Orange County Engineering Council's Annual Honors and Awards Banquet, Orange County Wyndham Hotel, Costa Mesa.


Cindy Tran (lower right, center) and the rest of the Boeing Systems Engineering Young Engineers Team received a special Youth Community Mentoring Award.