Dallas College Student Earns First Place in International Literary Competition

Oct. 26, 2026

For many students, sharing their writing can feel intimidating. For Ngoc Phuong Tram Tran, a biology major at Dallas College, taking that leap led to international recognition.

Tran earned first place in the One-Act Play category of the 2025-2026 League for Innovation Student Literary Competition for her original work, “Two Versions of Me.” The annual competition draws entries from college students across North America and challenges participants to create original works inspired by a common theme.

This year's theme, "Fissures," explored ideas of division, connection and the cracks that shape relationships, identities and communities.

Tran, an international student from Vietnam, said the recognition is especially meaningful because English is not her first language.

"Dallas College has given me many opportunities and helped me become more confident," Tran said. "Because English is not my first language, I never thought my writing would deserve international recognition."

The competition begins at the campus level before advancing top entries to national judging. Tran's work emerged as the national first-place winner among submissions from community colleges across North America.

"This is our one college model at work," said Dr. Andrew Tolle, interim associate vice provost for the School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design. "We have a faculty member at the Cedar Valley Campus who leads a competition open to students on every campus, and then this year, a student from our Richland Campus took it all the way and won first place."

Tran credits Dallas College faculty members for encouraging students to share their ideas and develop their voices as writers.

"I would tell any student, but especially international students where English is not their first language, if they have the ideas and they're able to put it down, we can help them revise and get it written the way they want it. It's their ideas; it's not ours," said Rebekah Rios-Harris, English instructor at Cedar Valley.

Outside the classroom, Tran enjoys writing, spending time with friends and exploring local cafés. She hopes to become a hospital pharmacist after completing her studies.

She encourages other students to challenge themselves and pursue opportunities, even when self-doubt creeps in.

"I encourage every student to enter, even if they are unsure or nervous," Tran said. "You may discover a talent you didn't know you had."

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