Y Un Diem (Gie Trieng ethnic group) is currently a 4th year student majoring in English Pedagogy at Tay Nguyen University. The girl from Tu Mo Rong village (Tu Mo Rong district, Kon Tum ) has just completed a short-term exchange program in the US under the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) scholarship.

Being able to "go out to sea" is something Diem never imagined 7 years ago, when she had just graduated from high school and had no other choice but to drop out of school and go to the city to work for money.

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Y Un Diem is currently a 4th year student majoring in English Pedagogy at Tay Nguyen University. Photo: NVCC

Since childhood, her parents divorced, Diem lived with her grandmother and her 5-year-old younger sister who had physical and mental difficulties. When Diem was in 7th grade, her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Despite her family's financial difficulties, the Gie Trieng girl always wanted to go to school.

In Diem’s village, many children, due to difficult circumstances, dropped out of school early to work in the fields, get married and have children. Their daily struggle to escape poverty made it impossible for them to escape. Those images urged Diem to go to school. “I was afraid I would follow that path. Seeing some of my friends getting an education, having a stable life, and even being able to explore the world , I wanted to go to school even more,” Diem said.

But Diem's ​​desire still could not overcome reality. After graduating from high school, Diem had to drop out of school to go to work. Luckily, when she went to Kon Tum, the librarian at her old high school knew about her situation and introduced her to study at a non-governmental school in France. It was like a new door opened for a mountain girl like Diem.

Here, Diem was sponsored for her studies and living expenses. After 6 months of studying theory in the hotel and restaurant industry, Diem had a 5-month internship at a 5-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Working in that environment, the Gie Trieng girl gradually realized the importance of learning English.

“Looking at managers who all have university degrees, I realized the difference in thinking and problem solving, especially if you are good at English, it can open up countless opportunities. That is why I decided to save money to go back to school soon, because education is the key and the fastest way to change your circumstances,” Diem said.

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Diem is of the Gie Trieng ethnic group. Photo: NVCC

For 2 years, Diem took on two jobs at the same time, some days working from 5am to 12pm. But thanks to that, Diem saved enough money to return to school. In 2020, Diem was admitted to the English Pedagogy major at Da Lat University. The Gie Trieng girl's wish is to bring English closer to the children in the village, so that they have their own keys and open the door to the future.

Two years of taking a break from school to work also helped Diem have a clearer direction and more motivation to strive. However, difficulties still hindered the little girl. One time, Diem had an accident on the way to school. For the next 6 months, her studies were interrupted, and she had to use all her savings for treatment.

During that time, Diem struggled between continuing her studies or stopping. Unable to pay the tuition, Diem once again put her studies on hold.

During her treatment, Diem sold goods online, saved money, and continued to research admission requirements at other universities. In 2021, she returned her transcript and was admitted to the English Pedagogy program at Tay Nguyen University.

But Diem’s path to university was still challenging. After studying for a year, Diem had a traffic accident, which caused her health to decline seriously. “At that moment, I thought that maybe I was not destined for university. But if I dropped out of school, I didn’t know what I would do to earn money and change my life,” Diem said.

Diem admits that this second accident was the most difficult time for her. Although she did not have to miss out on university again, it turned her life upside down.

“However, I always think positively that challenges only make me stronger and more resilient. Therefore, I have to stand up and continue moving forward,” Diem said.

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Diem is a member of the Secretariat, Vietnam Student Association of Dak Lak province. Photo: NVCC

After the accident, Diem still went to school. She threw herself into studying, training herself, actively participating in Youth Union activities and volunteering, going to the mountains to teach English to children. Currently, Diem is a member of the Secretariat, Vietnam Student Association of Dak Lak Province, and Head of the 5 Good Students Club of Tay Nguyen University.

Since her third year of university, Diem has dreamed of leaving her village to explore the world. Thanks to her academic advisor, an American doctor, Diem was given the necessary factors to “hunt” for scholarships. In October 2024, the female student won a short-term scholarship from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative sponsored by the US government.

“During that trip, I met American professors and many young people from 11 Southeast Asian countries. Seeing their dedication to the community, I realized that what I did was very small.”

When she returned, Diem seemed to have become “a different person in her thinking”. The female student set a goal of continuing to develop her expertise and seeking a master’s scholarship.

“I chose English teaching with the desire to bring foreign languages ​​to the village. When I was a child, in the place where I was born, many people struggled to make ends meet, so learning a foreign language was something very far away. But I want to change the mindset that English is not difficult and can open up many new opportunities for children. My dream is to bring cross-border classes to Kon Tum,” said Y Un Diem.

Muong female student enters university thanks to the kindness of the villagers Phung Thi Thuy said that her education was like “a miracle”. Holding the hard-earned money and effort of the villagers, Thuy is determined to study to soon return to repay this kindness.
Hoping to develop medicine to cure his father's illness, 10X won a PhD scholarship in Singapore . Witnessing his father's difficulties in dealing with illness, Nhan determined to pursue a career in Pharmaceutical Chemistry with the dream of contributing to the development of effective therapies to help treat similar illnesses to his father.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/duong-hoc-lien-tiep-dut-doan-nu-sinh-y-un-diem-san-hoc-bong-my-day-bat-ngo-2382032.html