San Diu girl has loved robots since elementary school, won national Robocon championship

"You're a girl, why are you studying engineering?"

That is the question that Diep Thi Hien (born 2002) - a final year student majoring in Electronics and Telecommunications, Hanoi University of Industry - has received many times from people around her while pursuing a career in scientific and technological research.

San Diu female student burst into tears after winning the national Robocon championship (Video: VTV)

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Diep Thi Hien said that for her, there is no profession that discriminates against gender. It all comes from passion and trying to pursue one's goals.

Facing doubts about "girls studying engineering", Hien participated in many competitions and achieved some results to prove that, with the right efforts, one will reap the rewards.

Recently, the 21-year-old girl was one of 20 outstanding female students nationwide to receive the 2023 Vietnam Female Science and Technology Award. This award is given to female students with outstanding academic and research achievements in a number of specific fields of science and technology.

Diep Thi Hien's outstanding achievement is winning the Vietnam Robot Creation Competition - Robocon 2023 .

"I was quite surprised and felt lucky to win this award. It is the pride of the school, the faculty, my family and myself. This is also a testament to my efforts over the past time and a strong motivation to help me continue to pursue my passion for engineering in the future," she shared.

Diep Thi Hien was born into a family of 5 children, her father is San Diu ethnic group, her mother is Chinese. The whole family lives by growing lychee in Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province. Because they did not have the opportunity to go to extra classes, the sisters encouraged each other to study from a young age.

When Hien was in elementary school, every time the TV showed the Robocon program, she and her sister were drawn into the intense competitions and nurtured the dream of researching and making robots themselves in the future.

After graduating from Luc Ngan Boarding Ethnic High School, Diep Thi Hien decided to follow her sister's footsteps and study Electronics and Telecommunications. Although some people said this major was boring and not suitable for girls, she still believed she had not made the wrong choice.

As one of 5 female students in a class of 60 male students, Hien does not see that as a disadvantage.

During her first two years of study, the girl born in 2002 was excited to be exposed to new things, from assembling electronic circuits to learning about software and programming. Although there were times when she had to study online due to Covid-19, she still made an effort to win scholarships and the title of excellent student.

Entering the third year, her studies were more stable and she had a certain confidence in the knowledge she had acquired, Diep Thi Hien registered to join the Robocon team of the Faculty of Electronics. She and her teammates excellently passed the selection round of Hanoi University of Industry, then the Northern qualifying round and reached the national final round.

The deeper they go, the more formidable their opponents become. Hien's team must continuously improve to produce the optimal robot product through each round. In particular, she is responsible for designing and manufacturing electronic circuits, helping the robot operate and doing some logistical work.

During this time, the group "eats and sleeps with robots". Depending on whether there are classes or not, the members go to the lab to research and make circuits until late at night, when the school closes.

When it came to the final stage, Hien and her friends were present at the workshop day and night to test the robot and practice, only daring to take a nap to keep up with the schedule.

Thanks to tireless efforts, at the final match of Robocon Vietnam this year, Hien and his teammates burst into tears when bringing home the championship for Hanoi University of Industry after 15 years of waiting.

The team then represented Vietnam at the Asia-Pacific Robocon competition held in Cambodia and won third place overall, along with the "Best Technique" award.

Looking back on the past journey, Hien cherishes the beautiful memories and valuable experiences that perhaps cannot be found anywhere else.

" Robocon 2023 gives me the opportunity to meet and learn many good things from teachers, seniors and friends. I will never forget the days when I worked tirelessly with my teachers and the whole team to achieve the results I have today. If I have any regrets, it is probably why I didn't join the team sooner," the female student shared.

Joining the Robocon team and winning a high prize also helped make Hien's student life more complete. She considered this an opportunity to improve her knowledge and skills, and at the same time challenge and train herself.

For example, Hien learned patience and high discipline in the process of making circuit boards. Because when faced with small components only measured in millimeters, she was not allowed to be hasty or careless because she would not be able to solder and create a complete circuit board.

For Diep Thi Hien, studying is not enough, she likes to participate in Union, Association and volunteer activities. Through that, the female student can not only accumulate more experience but also have the opportunity to participate in training courses to help herself become more confident, stronger and contribute in accordance with her youthful energy.

Currently, Hien is a member of the Executive Committee of the Electronics Faculty Youth Union, Secretary of the Electronics Youth Union 6 - K15, Hanoi University of Industry. In addition, as the Head of the FEA Academic Club of the Electronics Faculty, she is always a shining example with a cumulative average score of 3.34/4.0, and a training score of 92/100.

"At first, I struggled to arrange my time to balance studying, researching and Union and Association activities. After that, I learned how to arrange a detailed schedule, evaluating the priority level for each activity at each stage. For example, during the Robocon competition, there were days when I only slept 4 hours, accepting a slight decrease in my study results to focus on research.

Luckily, I always have teachers and friends to guide and assist me so I can complete all tasks," she shared.

After the Robocon competition ended, Diep Thi Hien tried her hand at the school-level IoT Challenge . With the topic "Designing a patient health monitoring system", the girl born in 2002 won first prize, in which she was mainly responsible for the circuit part.

Also at the beginning of this school year, Hien applied for and won a scholarship of 22 million VND from a corporation. Thanks to that, she had the opportunity to intern and was committed to a job after graduation.

"I am studying Chinese and English to prepare for the job market. This will also help me with my future scientific research," the student said.

In her final year of university, Hien still has many plans and projects ahead.

As a member of the Robocon team, the female student will continue to study and research with her friends to best prepare for the Robocon 2024 competition held in Vietnam.

As the head of the faculty's academic club, Hien hopes to lead the club to further development and help more students with the members.

"In the future, I will continue to study, research, improve my professional knowledge and pursue my passion for technical knowledge. I hope to contribute to the overall development of science and technology and achieve many new achievements," the 21-year-old girl shared.

Photo: NVCC

Design: Tuan Huy

Content: Thu Thao

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