"Early Valedictorian" of Foreign Trade University: Turning point from teacher's advice

From media to economics

From the intention of taking the entrance exam for Public Relations at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), from the advice of her high school homeroom teacher, Thien Huong "turned" and chose to enter the Foreign Trade University, majoring in Business Administration, specializing in International Business Administration.

"The teacher told me that I could apply to Foreign Trade University because it would help me show my dynamism. I found the advice reasonable so I agreed to try. Unexpectedly, that was also my turning point when I switched from my interest in media to economics," Thien Huong said.

The female student said that at first she was very self-conscious because this was a school with many active students from specialized schools and selective classes, while she came from a normal school with no competition.

Tran Thien Huong, majoring in International Business Administration, Foreign Trade University (Photo: NVCC).

The female student told herself that she could study hard at school but had no extracurricular experience. "However, I realized that if I kept worrying like this, I wouldn't learn anything, nor develop myself. The important thing is to take advantage of opportunities.

She decided to "change herself" by applying for many group activities if she had the chance, joining school clubs, to see how far she could go. From then on, she gradually felt less pressured, not focusing too much on others but focusing on her own development," Thien Huong confided.

With all her efforts, right from her first year, Thien Huong took on the role of MC for a large online seminar, with the registration of more than 1,800 students nationwide.

The event was jointly organized by the Faculty of Business Administration and the Faculty's Student Association, aiming to inspire young people. Huong took on the role of MC, leading the program with two famous speakers.

"3 days before hosting this program, I had to read information and articles about the speakers. I also practiced many times what I would have to say when holding the mic as MC.

I was so happy because the event recorded an explosion of interactions on social networks. Although it was my first time participating, the program helped me become more confident," Huong said.

Thien Huong won the championship of the I Am Brave 2024 Speech Contest

Sometimes I feel like I can't handle it.

In addition to participating in social activities and wanting to have a position in the student association, with her academic strengths, Thien Huong aims to achieve a 4.0 GPA.

This female student also wishes to study abroad, especially to study abroad on exchange. In the second semester of her second year, Huong was one of the three rare students of the school chosen to go on an exchange in Korea for one semester, or about 5 months.

"I applied to Yonsei University, one of the oldest private universities in Korea. The school is considered one of the three best universities in Korea, so the competition is very high.

To get into this school, the student's GPA and IELTS scores must be high. With the strength of achieving a GPA of 4.0, Thien Huong did not have too much difficulty getting into the school's selection list.

Sharing about her first time studying abroad, Huong said that during the first month she missed home, only staying in her room to study or cry.

Then I changed my mindset, I didn’t want to waste time in Korea because I knew there weren’t many opportunities. I went out more, connected with people, and kept in touch with friends in Vietnam. These things helped me get to know more people and catch up with life.

In addition to the difficulty of integrating into life in a foreign country, studying abroad makes Huong's learning progress slower than many others, putting pressure on the second-year student once again. If she graduates late, she will lose many opportunities when applying for a job, so she plans to accelerate her studies.

Huong proactively sought out new learning methods and connected more with her teachers to understand the issues raised in the lessons. Huong successfully completed the exchange semester as she had set her goal.

Huong continued to promote this learning method after returning to Foreign Trade University. She continued to study in groups to easily discuss lessons, connect lessons with reality, relate practical knowledge, and apply them in practice to better understand the value of the lesson. This method helps Huong understand faster, remember longer, and achieve more.

In addition to GPA 4.0 in many semesters, in 2023, Huong and her research group had a topic presented and published at the IFEAMA International Conference (Topic name: The impact of transformational leadership on employee engagement: The moderating role of hope and self-efficacy).

Thien Huong spoke at the Seminar "Career Venture_ Setting Sail in Business Analysis" organized by the faculty and the Faculty's Student Association (Photo: NVCC).

That same year, the female student and her friends continued to have topics presented and published at the annual International Scientific Conference for Young Scientists of Economics & Business Schools 2023 (ICYREB 2023).

In addition, the group also has topics published in the FTU Working Paper Series (Topic name: The impact of transformational leadership on employee engagement of Generation Z in Hanoi).

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter , Huong said, setting many goals for herself at the same time, participating in many extracurricular activities and clubs, she felt she couldn't handle it.

Instead of "straddling" many things at the same time, I change my priorities and level of interest for each stage to divide resources appropriately. For example, when exams are coming up, I spend most of my time studying, and when there is less pressure to study, I join more clubs.

I also divide my goals by school year. I even create an excel sheet to calculate: with the study intensity and corresponding results, how much will I get in the end.

Thien Huong's biggest regret at school was getting a B in Business Law. The reason was that at that time, she was studying, doing an internship, participating in clubs, and writing difficult essays, so she "stuck" with a B in one subject during her time studying at Foreign Trade University.

Thien Huong during her exchange study in Korea (Photo: NVCC).

Graduating early and planning to study abroad

In October 2024, Thien Huong started an internship at a multinational company. She remembers applying to about 10 companies and was lucky enough to intern at a leading company today as a business consultant.

Huong can work and study at the same time without much difficulty because she has had many previous experiences through scientific research and extracurricular activities.

After working to gain experience, Thien Huong plans to continue studying abroad for a master's degree in Business Administration in the next 3-5 years.

Commenting on Thien Huong, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration, Head of the Department of Financial Management and Statistical Analysis, Foreign Trade University, said that she is an excellent student with comprehensive development in both academics and extracurricular activities.

"Huong has a high sense of self-improvement, a desire and determination in her journey of self-development and self-improvement. I consider this a very positive trait of today's youth," said Dr. Thuy Anh.

I am one of 20 students nationwide receiving the 2024 Business Scholarship (Photo: NVCC).

According to Dr. Thuy Anh, Thien Huong was once the President of the FBA Elite Student Association of the Faculty of Business Administration - an organization that plays an important role in supporting the faculty and the school in organizing extracurricular activities for students.

Under the leadership of this female student, the Association has implemented many practical programs to help students not only improve their professional knowledge but also practice professional skills and have a positive attitude towards life.

"Thien Huong demonstrates good leadership skills, knows how to inspire and lead members to carry out many meaningful activities. Not only stopping at extracurricular activities, her academic achievements are also very impressive with a GPA of over 3.9 and completing the program in just 3.5 years.

Huong is sociable and always polite to teachers. With a receptive attitude, always trying to improve, with the spirit of solidarity, responsibility and humanity that Huong has been trained in the environment of the school's Faculty of Business Administration, I believe Thien Huong will be successful in the future and contribute more to society," Dr. Thuy Anh shared.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/thu-khoa-som-dh-ngoai-thuong-buoc-ngoat-tu-loi-khuyen-cua-co-giao-20250330221058401.htm