Sharing about her daughter Nguyen Ngoc Bao Khanh - a student at the United Nations International School Hanoi (UNIS) - who has just been admitted to Washington & Lee University (USA) with a scholarship of about 400,000 USD (over 10 billion VND), Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Van said that even though she only has one arm, she can do everything and do it well like everyone else!
Bao Khanh was accepted to Washington & Lee University (ranked 19th in the US University rankings) because of her excellent academic record, diverse and persistent extracurricular activities. Khanh has an IELTS score of 8.5, SAT score of 1460/1600 and IB (International Baccalaureate) score of 39/45 predicted.
Bao Khanh (right cover) with her mother and two younger sisters
Bao Khanh has dreamed of studying abroad since grade 7, at UNIS. Sharing about her daughter's determination to realize her dream of studying in the US, Ms. Anh Van said: From early on, she had a specific plan for her future career orientation that was suitable for her. After that, she researched the university that was suitable for her, the core values of the school and her desire to study at that school. She chose Washington and Lee from the very beginning and gradually implemented her plan from building extracurricular activities, choosing a major and suitable IB subjects. With such determination, she completely decided to study effectively for 6 years at UNIS and achieve her dream.
Bao Khanh focused on extracurricular activities from grade 9 and grade 10. Among them, Bao Khanh was most interested in researching the psychology of people with eating disorders. Khanh's project received support from Dr. Iris Hertz in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ms. Anh Van said that Bao Khanh was born with a defect in his right arm. The whole family calls Bao Khanh's arm "sausage". Ms. Anh Van always teaches her son: You are a normal person who can do everything like everyone else. There are people who have both arms but are useless and cannot do anything because they are lazy. But there are people with disabilities (no arms, legs or are blind...) but they still try and make an effort to do things that normal people cannot do.
Often, children with disabilities are overprotected or "hidden" by their parents for fear of being curious and asked about by others. Many people are afraid of being embarrassed and hurt, so they rarely let their children go out. But Bao Khanh is different. Ms. Anh Van said that Bao Khanh was allowed by her parents to socialize with friends since she was little. Bao Khanh confidently wore a "sausage" sleeveless shirt. At the age of 5, Bao Khanh was sent by her parents to study singing and perform in a choir at Sol Art. Bao Khanh often performs at important events and on television. Therefore, instead of feeling self-conscious, Bao Khanh is very confident when going to school and going out.
Even though he has one hand, Bao Khanh can do everything very well.
"Khanh can do personal care for herself. I told Khanh that whatever she likes, she can learn and do. Khanh learned to cook, taught herself to make cakes on YouTube, learned to play the piano and learn to swim... She does everything well like everyone else! 'Everyone has their own strengths, no one can be good at everything - so I discovered that Khanh really likes reading books, so I bought Khanh a lot of story books and English books'. She loves to study, but in order for her to be confident, her parents are always the audience for her to give speeches after each reading," Ms. Anh Van shared.
In 2018, Anh Van's family experienced a major change. In grade 6, Bao Khanh studied at the Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted in a dual degree program. After that, she won a 100% scholarship from UNIS for students with difficult circumstances but good academic performance. Anh Van said that during that difficult time, her family moved back to her hometown in 2021, while Bao Khanh stayed in Hanoi to study and live with relatives. According to Anh Van: "This was a difficult time for my child because his parents were not around regularly. Therefore, Bao Khanh was stressed about studying, worried about family events... His parents encouraged him a lot. After that, I had to go to Hanoi to live with my child and his sister to help him overcome his mental difficulties."
What Ms. Anh Van is most proud of about Bao Khanh is that her daughter is an honest person and always tries her best. Bao Khanh overcame her own difficulties to grasp opportunities for her own development. Bao Khanh knows how to love her family and friends, so she has friends all over the world.
Ms. Anh Van's family has 3 daughters. In addition to Bao Khanh, who is very talented and capable, her two other daughters are also very good at studying, very confident and independent. Sharing about the education of her children, Ms. Anh Van said that family is the deciding factor in whether the children will live a healthy, happy and prosperous life in the future.
"Studying well is not everything. What parents need to teach their children is to live ethically, honestly and responsibly towards themselves and the community. To do that, children need to be healthy, knowledgeable and financially well-off so that they can live well and help many people. When children understand this, they will know how to improve their health and study to prepare for their life journey," said Ms. Anh Van.
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/me-cua-nu-sinh-mot-tay-gianh-hoc-bong-10-ty-dong-du-hoc-my-moi-thu-con-deu-lam-tot-20250106174121512.htm
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