KHOI TRAN
Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Coach Khoi is one of the most promising young coaches in the community. He's a USATF Level II certified Sprints, Hurdles, and Relays coach. He's employed by EXOS, one of the world's leading training organizations when it comes to fitness and athletic performance. He currently holds two EXOS certifications: Fitness Specialist and Performance Specialist.
In his 10-year tenure as the head of Independence High's cross country and track & field programs, he produced over 50 sectional athletes, 1 state medalist, has won 1 girls division title, and 5 boys division titles.
Coach Khoi was born in Vietnam but was raised by East Side San Jose. He's a proud product of Independence High, having competed for the Seventy Sixers from 2006 to 2010. He competed for a year at San Jose City College under Philippe Gonzalez, where he was exposed to the science behind athletic development. Since then he's obtained a degree in kinesiology and devotes his time to athletic development.
He believes in empowering athletes with skills and knowledge to be successful in whatever roles they may be responsible for in their lives. Training for track & field is practice for life.
CHIEN-KAI KEVIN WANG
Head Cross Country Coach
Chien-Kai Wang, known to the athletes as Coach Kevin, is a Independence High School Alumni from the class of 2009 and was part of the Cross Country and Track & FIeld Team during the time of Victor Castillo and Bill Wright as a distance runner. He returns to the program to provide educational support and guidance to the students on becoming the best version of themselves and to foster an inclusive, supportive community of runners.
Chien-Kai is a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach, and has been working with the School Cross Country and Track & Field Distance Team for the past four years. He will be coming into his 5th year with the program as the Head Coach for Cross Country.
Chien-Kai's background profession has always been in education. He is currently a 4th/5th Grade and Middle School Music Educator for the Cupertino Union School District for the past four years, obtaining his BA in Music, Minor in Kinesiology, and Teaching Credentials from San Jose State University and Level 2 Orff Schulwerk Certification with the San Francisco Orff Schulwerk.
In addition to teaching music and fostering a inclusive, loving community with this classes, Chien-Kai is also a dancer that invests his time into the communities he is involved in. He was a part of the San Jose State University Dancesport Team from 2014 - 2019, competed as a team member in Standard, Smooth, and Nightclub, and helped foster an community within the team and on SJSU campus to love dance as the Team Advisor, Social Dance Instructor, and Ballroom Instructor. Chien-Kai is currently involved as West Coast Swing dancer with the Do Your Own Swing (DYOS), Mission City Swing (MCS), Warren & Yenni (WnY) Dance communities and still competes at various dance competitions to this day.
He believes in providing athletes a meaningful experience during their high school journey by teaching and developing their skills, character, and values, sharing his life experience during his time as a runner, dancer, musician, and student, and modeling for the athletes what it means to be a quality runner and a good person.
No matter if running becomes a profession or a hobby after their high school experience, Chien-Kai hopes that all his athletes, current or former, will learn to love the sport of running, appreciate the experience they have with their coaches and teammates, and take the skills and values they have developed to become the best version of themselves and impact their communities in a positive manner.
