Jenn Tran named The Bachelorette

After her journey with Joey Graziadei ended on season 28 of The Bachelor, Jenn Tran was named the new Bachelorette.

During the “After the Final Rose” ceremony, host Jesse Palmer brought out last season’s The Bachelorette, Charity Lawson, to make the announcement.

“It feels so surreal to be sitting here,” Tran said. “It’s so surreal to be passed the baton from Charity who is sitting here today with her person she found in all of this, and it’s honestly so inspiring.”

“I watched her season and I know I have some really big. shoes to fill,” she added.

Tran said that she’s hoping to find her person on the show, “someone that I truly feel like is 100% my perfect match and someone that I’m compatible with.”

“What that means right now, I don’t know,” she said. “I think I’ll know when I find him.”

Tran is also the first Asian American Bachelorette in the Bachelor franchise.

“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to see Asian representation on TV,” Tran said. “And I feel like any time Asians were in the media, it was a supporting character role, to fulfill some kind of stereotype and I always felt boxed in by that, because I was like, I don’t see myself on screen, I don’t see myself as the main character.”

“And now to be here today sitting in this position, being like, I am going to lead my own love story, I am going to be the main character of my story, I just can’t help but think of how many people I am inspiring,” she added.

Tran’s season of The Bachelorette will premiere in July.