Male student leads 11 teams to the final of World Scholar's Cup

Hanoi Ngu To Duy helped 11 teams go to the US to compete in the largest international debate and essay competition for high school students aged 8-18.

The dream of going to the US of many Vietnamese contestants in the World Scholar's Cup 2023 came true when 11 teams with more than 30 students won the global round on September 6.

Of these, two teams entered the top 5, winning the Champion Team cup; 7 teams took the top Bowl (team debate) from 2nd to 14th place. All will attend the final round at Yale University, USA, next November.

The guide for these students is a 20-year-old male student - Ngu To Duy.

"The feeling is so special. I reached the global round with my teammates and this time I was the one who brought my students here," said Duy, a second-year student majoring in Hotel Management at VinUni.

Ngu To Duy. Photo: Character provided

The World Scholar's Cup (WSC) began with a competition in South Korea in 2007, with students from the host country, Singapore and the United States. The competition has since grown to include more than 10,000 students from 62 countries each year. This year, the global round in Thailand alone had 1,500 teams with about 4,500 contestants.

WSC consists of 4 rounds, testing knowledge in the fields of Politics, Society, Science - Technology, History, Literature, Music and Arts through the form of debate, debate, and essay writing in English. Candidates must go through two regional and global rounds before reaching the final round at Yale University.

Duy participated in WSC twice and won the global round at the age of 13, but was unable to attend the finals in the US later that year. He was also invited to be a judge in the regional round three times. According to Duy, this subject helps students to be confident, dare to express and defend their opinions, and at the same time practice listening skills and understanding multiple perspectives on the same issue. Therefore, Duy opened a class for students who are passionate about debate to share their experiences.

According to Duy, to participate in this contest, candidates need good English, the ability to think and speak in front of a crowd. Duy has an IELTS certificate of 8.5, of which Speaking is 9.0.

Ngu To Duy (left cover) and team Nguyen Linh Anh, Tran Quy Don, Nguyen Truong Son - top 4 globally and top 2 Team Bowl at the round in Thailand. Photo: Character provided

The biggest difficulty for Duy when leading the WSC teams is that the knowledge is spread across many fields, the outline given by the organizers is too broad, while the exam questions are specific. The organizers give 6 main topics and the coach's task is to gather information and knowledge to guide the team members.

Previously, without a guide, Duy and his two teammates had to learn, study the outline, and review for the exam. Through years of competition and experience as a judge, Duy realized that for each topic, it is necessary to narrow down the scope and study as deeply as possible.

The male student said that of the four competition contents, Team Debate (face-to-face debate) and Scholar's Bowl (team test) were the most difficult because they included knowledge from many fields.

In the debate, Duy arranged each person's role in order 1, 2, 3 so that the speech had a clear structure and the judges could easily follow and evaluate. Person number 1 had the task of raising the issue for the other team to present counter-arguments. Person number 2 presented arguments against the opponent, and person number 3 summarized the parts and then gave a conclusion.

Meanwhile, in the team quiz, Duy consulted many sources of documents on various fields, then compiled them into a file and divided the topics among the members. Each team had three contestants and each person was in charge of two fields.

A month before the competition, the teams met daily to explain and debate. To increase their confidence, reflexes and competitiveness, Duy organized small debate tournaments, even competitions between teachers, to help students practice and learn. Duy corrected their body language, the way they thought about questions and expressed their own style on stage.

"With Duy as our coach, we have nothing to worry about. He has extensive knowledge, impressive individual skills and smart tactics," said Nguyen Ngoc Minh, 15, whose teammates recently finished in the top 5 of the global competition.

According to Minh, Duy offers many tactics and can change them depending on each opponent. While foreign teams often pay attention to style, speak loudly and use flowery words, Minh's team focuses on content and tactics.

"Our team's strategy is to come up with solutions to the problem. We attack the other team's logical weaknesses to crush their ideas," Minh said.

Meanwhile, Bui Ha Linh's team, grade 9, Vinschool, used the method of asking many questions so that the opponent had to answer without having time to present their arguments. Linh's team won the top 3 position in the team quiz competition.

"It is an honor for me to reach the competition round at Yale University. This result is thanks to the guidance of the coach and the efforts of each member of the team," Linh shared.

The joy of the Young Scholars Vietnam team led by Duy after winning the global round in Thailand. Photo: Provided by the character

After the competition, Linh and Minh gained more friends and international competition experience. Participating in the tournament also gives them an advantage when applying for scholarships to study abroad because the WSC gold medal is highly valued by many universities when considering admission.

According to Duy, the contest not only helps students gain knowledge in many fields and practice their bravery, but is also an opportunity to introduce Vietnam.

During his trip to Bangkok, Duy and the contestants brought along the book Fairy tales without borders in English, compiled by Duy himself, to give to international friends.

The male student is planning and preparing lessons to accompany the contestants to the US. "The goal of the teams is to win prizes," Duy said.

In the long term, Duy hopes to continue to instill his passion for debate in his students. In addition, Duy spends time participating in several translation projects and social activities. The male student is the translator of a New York Times bestseller - "Steal like an artist".

Dawn

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