Kinhthi came into this world 9 days late. His mom had finished a jigsaw puzzle of many exotic frogs, while waiting for him to come. Since birth, he was always a rebel and a life-seeker. 


He grew up in Redondo Beach, he loved the water, his friends, and his life. He attended Jefferson Elementary School, Parras Middle School, Redondo Union High School, and was going to El Camino Community College. When he was young, Kinhthi was a big troublemaker, whilst being a smart student. In middle school, he learned how to hack through the school's firewall and go onto the dark web. His parents were called to the school and were given a 4 inch thick stack of paperwork. 


Growing up with a large extended family on both his mother's and father's side, Kinhthi never was "alone," and always had someone to hangout with, or talk to. He was close with his cousins and often kept in touch with them, even when they lived far apart. He had many memories with all his cousins including performing Ayida and Uy's Wedding, hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and the countless Tran and Sanborn family reunions.  


Since family was such an avid idea in his life, it is no doubt that family was so important to him. Every time there were family issues, he would always step in to try to relieve it. He would talk to each of his family members about it and make sure they were truly okay. He had such a mesmerizing way with words that one would always understand what he was talking about and they'd know he'd always understand what they were talking about or going through. Kinhthi and his father always knew they both loved and cared for each other and would do anything for the happiness of the other. They had this unspoken communication and understanding  between each other and were a good team. His relationship with his sister, started out like any other sibling relationship, endless fighting. He would always tease her relentlessly, but deep down he loved her to the core. In the last years of his life, they had outgrown their childish habits and reached a deep understanding of each other only they'd know. Kinhthi had an especially unique relationship with his mother. During his late teen years when they lived apart from each other, they would stay up late at night talking about their problems, their relationships, their friends, their family, and their everyday lives to update each other on what's up. Kinhthi was someone who wasn't afraid to say what's on his mind, so whenever his mom was giving him shit, he would always call her out on it, thus building a devoted and meaningful relationship to each other. 


Kinhthi’s friends were of the utmost importance to him. They made up an integral part of who he is. During Kinhthi’s free time, he'd always choose to spend it with his best friend, Jonathan. The two were inseparable, and their friendship and close bond was very obvious to anyone that knew them. When he moved to South Carolina, they kept in touch and despite being thousands of miles apart, their friendship never wavered. Kinhthi then moved back to California, and thus began a new chapter in his life. He was convinced to join the school’s marching band, an activity very foreign to him at the time. He instantly became loved and admired by the entire band, and people were fascinated by his unapologetic way of being himself. He made many close friends during this time, who can all say that Kinhthi was someone who they could confide in, and there was not a judgemental bone in his body. Not only was he truly caring, and considerate, but he was incredibly entertaining and fun to be around. His humor was unique to him, and people constantly had their phones out to film his next move. Without realizing it, people began to adopt his goofy mannerisms and sense of humor. There was a little bit of Kinhthi in all of his friends. He truly was the glue that held together his friend group, and he made people feel comfortable and safe when around him. 


Kinhthi grew up into a man whom everyone admired and left a deep mark on anyone he met. He was a person never afraid of consequences and lived his life to the fullest. He was one who wouldn't have a plan and  instead would be spontaneous and have fun. He lived life with no regrets and was a walking icon to the people around him. His carefree nature and empathetic personality always drew people to him. Kinhthi would always make an effort to make sure people never felt alone, and he always knew the right things to say to people who were feeling down, and even just his presence could cheer someone up. Kinhthi was truly someone who was so capable of empathy, a trait rarely found in today's world. Kinhthi was truly the only person of his kind and will be forever missed, and his legacy remembered and celebrated.