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Story & Lesson Highlights with Stephanie Tran M.S.Ed of Houston

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Stephanie Tran M.S.Ed shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
In addition to running two companies and a nonprofit, I’m working on two projects right now that feel deeply connected. With my former professor, Dr. Clay Spinuzzi, I’m co-authoring a book rooted in rhetoric — the idea that the words we use and the stories we tell don’t just describe reality, they shape how students see themselves and their future. Too often, when that sense of alignment is missing, kids disengage, act out, or shut down, and the adults who care about them are left frustrated and unsure how to reach them. This book addresses that gap by giving students a safe space to discover their “why” through reflection, story, and dialogue. Just as importantly, it invites parents, teachers, tutors, mentors, counselors, and coaches to co-read it with students, so the entire village is speaking the same language of purpose.

At the same time, with Tom Miller, Uplift Learners’ newest board member, I’m launching Early University Academy, a private school with a mission to give students the kind of academic support usually reserved for Division I athletes. Right now, too many students leave school without direction, but our vision is different: we want them to graduate not just with a high school diploma, but with an associate’s degree and a clear path forward to their respective careers. At EUA, individualized guidance, tutoring, and mentorship aren’t extras. They’re built into the culture, so every student has a team in their corner, building them up.

I also want to recognize Mrs. Lynda Daniel, who embodies the very heart of what our work stands for. She hired Tutor Route to support kids who did not have the funds to access tutoring, even though they were not her own children. She drives students to school when the bus is not available, takes them on fun field trips, and pours herself into community work to make sure these kids are cared for and inspired. I deeply appreciate her collaboration and her dedication to the same mission I hold for every child: that no student should feel left behind or without a village investing in their success.

To me, these projects are really part of the same story. The book equips students and their supporters with the language and tools to discover purpose, while the school creates the structure and environment where that purpose can actually be lived out. Both reflect what matters most to me: making sure no student feels invisible, unsupported, or unsure of who they are becoming.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I started my career as a teacher with a Master of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins, but over time I stepped into entrepreneurship because the needs I was seeing in education were bigger than what I could solve in one classroom. Today, I own Prime Masterclass, Tutor Route, and a nonprofit called Uplift Learners. These organizations are all built around one mission: closing the gaps I have watched students and professionals struggle with throughout my life.

Those gaps are not only about knowledge or access to opportunities. They run deeper. Too many students and young professionals move through school without developing the maturity, confidence, or level of professionalism they need to thrive beyond graduation and succeed in the real world. That is where our work as tutors, coaches, and mentors comes in. We are not just filling academic blanks. We are equipping students with the mindset and skills to navigate life itself.

Tackling a problem this complex requires going deeper than test prep or tutoring hours. At its root, it is about how we, as stakeholders outside the home such as teachers, tutors, mentors, and advisors, are positioned. Too often we are treated as add-ons, when in reality we need to be seen as true partners walking alongside our clients in the journey. When that partnership is strong, we do more than help kids earn better grades and professionals earn better compensation. We help them grow into capable, confident young adults and established experts who know who they are becoming.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
In my experience, what breaks bonds is almost always the same: disconnection. Sometimes it shows up when people overpromise and underdeliver. A new hire might take on more than they can handle, or a manager might ignore the perspectives of their staff, believing they already know best. Trust is what suffers, and it rarely collapses all at once. Instead, it erodes slowly every time people stop truly listening to one another.

The same dynamic plays out in families. There is the struggling student who feels dismissed and unheard, and the exhausted parent working long hours who feels unappreciated. The parent believes their sacrifices are invisible. The child believes their struggles are minimized in comparison. Both sides are talking, but no one is listening with empathy, and when empathy leaves the room the bond between them weakens.

Bonds can be restored, but it requires humility, empathy, and partnership. Humility creates the space to admit you may not have the full picture. Empathy opens the door to seeing the world through someone else’s lens. Partnership means choosing to walk alongside someone rather than stand above them.

That philosophy runs through everything I build. As a teacher turned entrepreneur leading Prime Masterclass, Tutor Route, and Uplift Learners, I have seen that education is not just about closing knowledge gaps. It is about rebuilding trust between students and parents, employees and employers, and teachers and communities. The book I am writing with Dr. Clay Spinuzzi is designed to give students and their supporters the language to reconnect through story and reflection. Early University Academy, the private school I am launching with Tom Miller, is designed to provide students with the kind of academic support usually reserved for Division I athletes. It gives them a team of tutors, coaches, and mentors who are positioned not as add-ons but as true partners in their success.

What restores bonds, whether in a company, a classroom, or a family, is the same. It is listening. It is empathy. It is partnership. That is why my work matters to me. It is not only about building programs, schools, or books. It is about building bridges so no one feels invisible, unsupported, or left to walk alone.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
When I was younger, I trained in figure skating. I poured myself into it, chasing the perfect routines and the medals I thought would define me. But despite all that effort, I fell short of the dream I had built in my head. At the time, it felt like failure in the purest sense, the kind you carry around like proof that you are not enough.

What I eventually came to realize is that you only truly fail if you stop moving forward. Walking away from competitive skating did not mean I had failed. It meant that the discipline, the drive, and the competitiveness I built on the ice were carried into a new arena, one where the stakes were even higher. That arena became entrepreneurship.

Skating taught me that falling is not final. It is practice for resilience, and resilience is what fuels everything I do now: teaching, building Prime Masterclass, Tutor Route, and Uplift Learners, launching Early University Academy with Tom Miller, and co-authoring a book with Dr. Clay Spinuzzi. Students need to know the same truth I had to learn on the ice. Falling does not define you. Stopping defines you. What matters most is carrying that same drive into the next chapter and choosing to create a new, thriving story for yourself.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
In education, one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that a flood of content alone is enough. We keep creating new curriculum, new programs, and new assessments, all under the assumption that if students just have more knowledge at their fingertips, they will succeed. Another version of this lie is believing that if we throw more money at the problem and create shinier tools, students will automatically thrive. For example, one district invested heavily to ensure every student had a laptop, which is commendable, but for the student who does not have internet at home or the skills to use it effectively, the laptop becomes useless. The same conversation is happening now with artificial intelligence. AI can enhance what we do, making our processes more efficient and our teaching more creative, but it will never replace the mentorship, trust, and human bond that actually moves students forward. Innovation is powerful, but without human connection it is incomplete.

The more important story is that real change comes from people. Teachers, tutors, mentors, parents, coaches, and leaders are the ones who leave a lasting impact, because students and young professionals learn through connection. They are moved by stories, by experience, and by someone who relates to them, respects them, and challenges them. That is why the work has to go beyond information and into persuasion and inspiration. It is rhetoric in its truest sense, helping students buy into their own lives, see their potential clearly, and take real steps toward it.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I feel like I am almost always out of my depth, and that is intentional. I put myself there because that is how I grow. That is also why my companies and my nonprofit are constantly evolving. On the surface they may look like different ventures, but they are really connected, all tied to the same mission of closing gaps for students, families, and professionals. Letting each one transform has stretched me in new ways and pushed me to keep learning.

The truth is, I get bored easily. I am always looking for something new to add, not just for the sake of growth but to make our services better and to reach more people: families, students, mentors, coaches, tutors, teachers, and even the professionals and bosses who shape the systems around them. When you build up capable, driven, and self-aware people, and then align them to work together like pieces of a gear in a watch, you unlock something powerful. That kind of collaboration has the potential to move entire communities forward.

For me, being out of my depth is not a red flag. It is a signal that I am in the right place, because if I am too comfortable, I am not growing.

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