Katherine Tran

Katherine Tran is a Glen Allen, Virginia-based author who turned to writing later in life after a career rooted in science and analytical work. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from Virginia Commonwealth University and went on to build a career in the pharmaceutical industry, including a role at Merck, where she sharpened the analytical and evidentiary instincts that now shape how she approaches storytelling. Major life turning points, including health struggles and the loss of her mother, eventually redirected her toward writing as a way to process her past and preserve it for the people she loves.

Since publishing her first title in March, Tran has released nine books available on Amazon, among them her memoir, The Daughter She Raised, along with poetry collections and series that explore the Vietnamese refugee experience. Having arrived in the United States at fifteen and spent roughly three and a half years in a refugee camp before starting over, she writes to document the uncertainty, hardship, and endurance that defined that chapter of her life. Her work extends beyond her own story to include the experiences of so-called "boat people" and Amerasian children fathered by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, giving voice to histories she feels are too often overlooked.

Fluent in both English and Vietnamese, Tran centers her work and her outlook on resilience and independence, particularly for women rebuilding their lives after hardship. She encourages aspiring writers, especially young women, to draw on their own lived experience, reminding them that setbacks and rewrites are simply part of the process of creating something that can help someone else. In recognition of her contributions as a storyteller and advocate for refugee narratives, Tran has been selected for feature in the 2026 edition of Influential Women representing Glen Allen, Virginia.