The female valedictorian of Danang University has just graduated with a PhD in the US and was accepted into the largest bank in the country, despite spending 2 years "struggling" to find another direction.
Although Le Thi Thu Nguyet (born in 1995) started her dream of studying abroad very early, she did not choose to go to the US right away but stayed in Vietnam to study for another 4 years. But for the Da Nang student, it was all a worthwhile time. More than 6 years since her graduation, Nguyet has "touched" her dream of completing a PhD in Applied Mathematics in the US.
“My parents always wanted me to be happy with every choice I made. Up to now, I am satisfied with everything, even though the journey has not always been rosy,” Nguyet said.
Le Thi Thu Nguyet has just completed her PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Southern California.
Born into a family with a father who is a lecturer in Mathematics at the University of Education, Danang University, and a mother who is a Math teacher at Phan Dinh Phung Secondary School, Nguyet was nurtured in her love for Mathematics from a very early age.
In third grade, when participating in the exam to select gifted students, she was the only one who solved the classification question and achieved the highest score in the school. From then on, Nguyet began to be interested in finding solutions to different math problems.
Determined to study abroad by finding her own scholarship, but still feeling “heavy with family”, Nguyet decided to stay in Vietnam for another 4 years before realizing her American dream. She chose to study at the University of Education, Danang University to be closer to her parents. In 2013, Nguyet became the school’s valedictorian with 27 points.
During her time studying Mathematics Education, the female student was exposed to a lot of mathematical knowledge, which made her want to research more deeply into this field instead of teaching. Thu Nguyet has twice won first prize in Analysis at the Olympiad for excellent students organized by Da Nang University.
In her second year, Nguyet began preparing her documents and certificates to apply for a PhD scholarship in the US. With early preparation, Nguyet quickly completed the necessary certificates such as TOEFL, GRE, GRE Math, asked for recommendation letters from some professors at the school and prepared her essay.
Financially, Nguyet said her 7-year-younger sister also dreams of studying abroad in the US. Since her parents can only afford to pay for one person, Nguyet is determined to aim for full scholarships to give her sister the opportunity.
In 2017, Nguyet graduated as valedictorian from the University of Education, Danang University with a GPA of 3.9/4.0. At the same time, the female student received news that she won a full PhD scholarship in Mathematics from Indiana University, Bloomington, a top university in the United States.
Nguyet and her sister
Half a year later, Nguyet set off for the US with great excitement. “I was impressed by this school through pictures on the Internet. It has many beautiful, ancient buildings and lush green trees like in the movies.”
But when she arrived, Nguyet was shocked because everything was not like she imagined. Bloomington, where the school was located, was very cold and deserted. “It was very difficult to find a few Vietnamese people,” she recalled. Many days she had to walk to the bus stop alone, wet from the snow, and Nguyet felt even more lost in a strange place.
During the first half of the year, her studies were not as expected. She failed several times and had to retake the exam to meet the entry requirements for graduate school. Nguyet gradually felt stressed and in crisis.
After the first winter, the Vietnamese girl took a trip to Los Angeles. The hustle and bustle there was like a “push” that sparked her intention to transfer schools.
“The PhD program at Indiana lasted for 5 years, but I thought it was not suitable for me so I wanted to stop and switch to research in Applied Mathematics.” At that time, Nguyet had just completed her master's degree in Mathematics at Indiana University, Bloomington with a GPA of 3.9/4.0 and had passed all the doctoral exams.
Starting over from submitting the application, Nguyet felt more happy than regretful. She also did not feel it was a waste because thanks to this time, she also found her strengths and passions, thanks to which many American universities were willing to grant her a full doctoral scholarship. Thu Nguyet then chose to study at the University of Southern California, majoring in Applied Mathematics.
Nguyet had an internship at JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Studying in the US for two years brought Nguyet many advantages. Because she had already taken some equivalent subjects, she was able to transfer her credits to the new school without having to retake them.
Although here, Nguyet still needed to pass exams and aptitude tests to be eligible to start participating in research, with her previous experience, Nguyet quickly passed and was able to do research right from the second year - something that most graduate students take up to 2 years to complete.
“At the new school, I no longer feel burdened and pressured. It is also the right place that I want to stay,” Nguyet said.
Among many fields, Nguyet chose to do in-depth research on Partial Differential Equations - which are widely applied in the Finance industry. In just 9 months, she completed her first paper related to the quantitative uniqueness of Parabolic Equations, which are applied in the Automatic Control industry. The paper was published in December last year.
This is also a "momentum" step to help Nguyet confidently continue to explore other applied problems in Ellipse and Parabola equations.
By October this year, Nguyet completed her PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Southern California, half a year ahead of schedule.
Before graduating, Nguyet also had an internship in Quantitative Research at JP Morgan Chase & Co. - the largest bank in the US. To get into this bank, candidates must go through 6 rigorous evaluation rounds.
At the end of the internship, in September 2023, the Vietnamese girl was in the top 20% with the best results and was officially hired to work in New York in the position of designing financial mathematical models and analyzing data for banks.
Throughout the journey, Nguyet felt “a lot of pressure but also a lot of motivation”. “I am still on the path of continuing to strive and work hard”, she said.
Thu Nguyet is also grateful to her father - the person who gave her the motivation and love for Math since she was a child. “Before, my father often asked my sister and I interesting math questions. When we were older, we often sat down to discuss and solve difficult math problems together. There was also a time when I was confused about whether I had chosen the wrong path, but my father was always there to accompany, analyze and support me in every choice.”
Looking back now, Nguyet feels lucky to have persistently pursued studying and doing Math, because this is the foundation that helps her confidently conquer any field she works in.
Vietnamnet.vn
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