The shock of failing the 10th grade public school Born and raised in Nghe An , in 2021, like her peers, Thanh Tuyen took the provincial 10th grade entrance exam. However, with a result of 0.5 points less, she failed her wish to enter the district's key school. At junior high school, she was considered a good student, even always in the top 1 of her class. Hearing that Tuyen failed the public school, her teachers were also surprised. As for Tuyen, it was like a shock in her first life. "At that time, I was sad and cried a lot. My uncle (my mother's younger brother) called to encourage me to be strong and move on instead of crying. With the dream of studying abroad, I decided to go to Hanoi at my uncle's suggestion and study at a private school to start over," Tuyen said about her decision. Tuyen did not know that this decision would be a turning point in her journey to conquer knowledge.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen (grade 12I, Marie Curie High School, Hanoi) received admission letters from 9 universities in the US.

Moving from Nghe An to Hanoi to live with her uncle, Tuyen learned to live independently. Choosing Marie Curie School, at first, Tuyen couldn't help but worry that her classmates were better students. But thanks to the dedicated teachers, along with many extracurricular activities, Tuyen gradually gained confidence to overcome difficulties, get used to the new environment and develop herself. Also because of the stumble in the 10th grade exam, Tuyen always reminded herself to be more determined and focus on studying. "After a failure, I learned many lessons and became more self-aware," Tuyen said. With determination and a clear plan, she constantly tried to maintain high academic results while diligently studying English to take the international certification exam and prepare her application to study abroad. During her 3 years of high school at Marie Curie School, Thanh Tuyen was always at the top of her class in terms of academic achievement. Her average score in all subjects was above 9.0. In grades 10 and 11, she achieved an average score of 9.3 and 9.4. In all 3 years of high school, Tuyen was an outstanding student and won a scholarship from Marie Curie School. In addition, she was also the class monitor, loved by teachers and friends. Admitted to 9 American universities, the highest scholarship was up to 6 billion VND. In the 3 recent rounds of applying to American universities, Tuyen was accepted to 9/12 schools she applied to. Of these, the highest was Dickinson College - a liberal arts college in the US - with a scholarship of 56,590 USD/year. In addition, the school supported Tuyen with 2,500 USD for part-time work here and a loan of 4,000 USD/year to cover living expenses without interest. In addition, Tuyen also won scholarships from a number of schools such as: DePauw University, St. Lawrence University, Gustavus Adolphus College, Allegheny College, Knox College, College of Wooster, Juniata University, Ohio Wesleyan University... The scholarship that each of these schools awarded to Tuyen was about 3 - 5 billion VND/4 years. Tuyen believes that perhaps her essay was highly appreciated by the admissions committee of many universities in the US because it was linked to the real projects she did and her own experiences. According to Tuyen, the 750-word essay, although not "big", is the journey of a female student overcoming herself to realize her dream. “I told her about witnessing many children in my hometown dropping out of school to work. In many rural areas in Vietnam, studying is not considered important, and families often orient their children to work very early. I myself have experienced some of the narrowing of opportunities when I failed to get into a public high school. I have tried to spread the word to everyone about how important studying is,” Tuyen said. From her real-life experiences, the female student realized that many minors are “forced” to work too early. With the desire to spread the benefits ofeducation through the media and convince parents to let their children attend free classes, Tuyen founded the Child Labor Defender community project. “In the essay, I shared my wish that studying abroad would not only develop my future, but also motivate young people to go to school and dare to dream despite difficulties and challenges. Perhaps those things touched the emotions of the admissions committees of universities,” Tuyen said. In the acceptance letter, Dickinson College also quoted a passage from Tuyen’s own essay that impressed the admissions committee: “Memories of the sun-drenched fields in my hometown, the resilient eyes of the children and the support of my family have become the guiding light for me. With each step forward, I carry dreams of a brighter future, not only for myself but also for all children who dare to dream despite difficulties and challenges.” Talking about studying, Tuyen said she has no special secret. But the important thing is to focus on listening to lectures in class and practice the exercises at home. For knowledge that she did not understand or was unclear about, she searched for additional documents online or asked teachers and friends. “I always try to seek help from those around me, rather than trying to do it alone when the results are not as expected.” Tuyen said that the most difficult time for her when preparing her study abroad application was at the end of grade 10 because that was both the beginning and the time when her English was not good. But after 2 years of effort, Tuyen achieved a score of 115 points on the Duolingo Certificate - a score that is not too high but is enough for many universities in the US to accept.

Tuyen and some friends in the "Child Labor Defender" Club that she founded teach Lao Cai children some handicrafts.

Not only that, to catch the attention of the school's admissions board, Tuyen actively participated in community activities such as: Teaching children, planting trees, giving gifts to people, picking up trash to protect the marine environment... During the 2023 summer vacation, Tuyen and some friends in the "Child Labor Defender" Club organized the "Wish Box" event at Trung Chai Secondary School (Sapa, Lao Cai) to contribute to promoting the reduction of child labor abuse. At the program, in addition to promoting, Tuyen and her friends also gave clothes, school supplies and instructed children in some crafts, science and technology... Not only is she a good student, Thanh Tuyen also holds the position of Vice President of the "Big 3 ball" Basketball Club, a club established by students from many high schools in Hanoi. At the beginning of grade 12, Tuyen and her club successfully organized the Lion Cup tournament, attracting 10 teams from high schools in Hanoi. With the money collected, the teams supported many charity activities. In addition, she is also talented in singing, dancing, and piano. At Marie Curie School, in addition to being the class monitor of grade 12I, Tuyen is also an "artist" who actively participates in the school's art and music activities.

She is also the Vice President of the "Big 3 ball" Basketball Club - a club formed by students from many high schools in Hanoi.

Thanh Tuyen said that at this time, she is carefully considering which university to choose to study, although her major is always Marketing. Talking about her plans for the near future, Thanh Tuyen said that around the beginning of August, she will go to the US to complete the admission procedures. During this time, she wants to focus on self-development, especially strengthening her English ability. The female student has registered to take the IELTS certificate exam in early April to gain more experience and set specific goals for herself. Entering a new environment, Tuyen said that her biggest asset is independence when she gets used to studying away from home since grade 10. "Every new journey will have difficulties, but I think if I try my best, I will be able to overcome them," Tuyen said.

Vietnamnet.vn

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