Mimi Tra hasn’t let obstacles slow her down. She suffered a concussion in high school, after which she struggled physically, emotionally, and academically. However, she says attending Central Piedmont helped her overcome these challenges.

“Central Piedmont has helped me conquer possibility by giving me hope and another chance,” Mimi says. “I feel like Central Piedmont saw my potential and has given me the opportunity to mature, grow, and find my purpose in life.”
Mimi graduated from Central Piedmont in spring 2021, and has transferred to her “dream school” of UNC-Chapel Hill.

She was a Presidential Scholar, a program that not only supplemented her tuition, but also provided her with service-learning opportunities to get involved in the community. She won an Outstanding Student Award while at Central Piedmont. Like many other successful students, Mimi was involved in many clubs and organizations, including Phi Theta Kappa, Mu Alpha Theta, and she was the president of the Student Researchers in Science Club.

“Participating in different clubs and honor societies helped me find my voice, something I never had due to my lack of self-confidence and insecurities,” Mimi says. “But Central Piedmont believed in me and helped me become the person I am today.”

Mimi Tra is featured in the Parr Center mural at Central Campus.

Mimi’s goal is to become a physician assistant. She says Central Piedmont has been integral in her journey.

“Central Piedmont’s flexibility in course options allowed me to have the time to be a volunteer EMT,” Mimi says. “I have also been administering COVID vaccinations since the start of vaccine distributions in January 2021. This real-world experience is helping me toward my goal of becoming a physician assistant.”
Her advice to future students?

“I want others to understand they are incredible for even wanting to do a postsecondary education. I was once the student who was ashamed that I decided to go to community college, but now I am so proud to be a graduate of Central Piedmont,” Mimi says. “There will always be people along the way in life who will bring you down, but use that negativity as motivation to be better.”