Before becoming the only student to graduate with honors from the academy, Minh Hieu struggled for a year without motivation or goals, even considering dropping out of school.
Ha Minh Hieu, 23 years old, graduated from the Information Technology Department of the Cryptography Technical Academy with a GPA of 3.6/4. Hieu is the only outstanding student of the school this year and is also one of the 96 valedictorians honored by the Hanoi People's Committee on October 10.
"Having gone through a period of disappointment and confusion, not knowing if my choice was right, graduating as valedictorian was something I never thought of," the young man from Phu Tho shared.
Ha Minh Hieu, 23 years old, valedictorian of the Cryptography Engineering Academy in 2023. Photo: Thanh Hang
When he was a student at Hung Vuong High School, Minh Hieu was in the Math-IT team, so he soon thought "he would choose a technical school" when he entered university. But in 11th grade, life brought Hieu the greatest pain - his mother passed away. The student born in 2000 was shocked and his studies declined. His high school graduation exam results were not as expected, Hieu could not achieve his goal of entering the University of Science and Technology.
"After the shock of losing my mother, my excellent student exam results and graduation were not up to the teachers' expectations, I lost confidence, thinking that I was not capable enough to do well in university," Hieu said.
Invited by a friend, Hieu registered for the Cryptography Engineering Academy without much hesitation. When he was accepted, he began to feel disappointed, not knowing what to do next. There was a time when Hieu thought about taking a leave of absence to retake the exam. But Hieu also understood that he did not have enough determination, and the circumstances at that time were not suitable for staying home for a year to study for the exam. Hieu and his father had many conversations about this issue, but the situation was still very tense, because Hieu himself did not know what to do.
"After many tiring months, I finally looked at the problem in the simplest way possible. I didn't know what to do, had no motivation, okay, I will try everything to find the goal," Hieu said.
The male student joined volunteer clubs, guitar, programming, participated in seminars, workshops, and registered for scientific research. Through these experiences, Hieu realized that he was suitable for the scientific research group. Being in the group, Hieu was exposed to specialized knowledge and many projects outside of school.
Getting used to system maintenance and building applications for customers, he gradually realized that "it turns out I'm not that bad". His spirit was revived, Hieu suddenly realized that he was studying at a leading university in training in Information Security and Information Technology and "there was no reason to retake the exam". Gradually regaining his confidence, Hieu used that as a springboard to set a goal of winning a scholarship each semester.
Hieu at work, 2022. Photo: Character provided
Hieu's study program lasts 5 years, and upon graduation, he will receive an engineering degree. To study general subjects, Hieu applies the same method as in high school: rereading the lesson right after class, trying to remember the main ideas. Thanks to that, when it comes time to review for exams, Hieu feels quite relaxed because he has a system of knowledge in advance.
With his major, Hieu found everything easier. The time he spent in the club helped him study and practice regularly, sometimes even getting to know the knowledge in class in advance. Therefore, Hieu passed his major exams easily.
The only "nightmare" subject for Hieu was physical education. The Cryptography Academy had strict physical fitness standards for a variety of sports. Hieu failed basketball, the only subject he failed in college, and humorously considered it a memorable memory of his student days.
In parallel with his studies at school, Hieu started working part-time at the end of his third year, in charge of back-end (functions that support the operation of a website or application that users cannot directly see). Gradually, Hieu was able to take on all positions in the construction, programming, operation and management of a website.
Hieu usually only sets short-term goals, so becoming valedictorian was beyond his expectations. When completing graduation procedures, he was informed that he had achieved an overall score of 3.6/4, excellent.
"This year, Hieu is the only outstanding student of the school. Two years ago, no one at the Cryptography Academy achieved this result," said Mr. Le Ba Cuong, head of the Computer Science department, Faculty of Information Technology.
Teaching Hieu since the end of his first year, Mr. Cuong commented that at first Hieu was shy, but after participating in scientific research activities, Hieu became bold and quickly developed his learning ability. The research project of Hieu and his friends also won first prize at the school level.
The teacher assessed the student as hard-working, diligent in improving his knowledge, and a student with "very deep and solid" knowledge in specialized subjects. Therefore, when Hieu became the valedictorian, Mr. Cuong said he was not too surprised.
"With Hieu's abilities, his job opportunities are very open. Hieu can do research or system development at leading technology companies and businesses," said Mr. Cuong.
Hieu received a certificate of merit and a commemorative medal at the ceremony to honor outstanding valedictorians of Hanoi on October 10. Photo: Provided by the character
Hieu is looking for a new job. The job he has been doing since his student days still provides a good and stable income, but Hieu wants to challenge himself in a more competitive and larger environment. Looking back at his journey at the Cryptography Academy, he feels lucky.
"Luckily I chose the school, luckily I didn't give up and take a leave of absence and retake the exam, luckily I found what I love to do, which helps me develop. I feel relieved to have overcome the most difficult time, and I think my parents will be happy to see me today," Hieu said.
Vnexpress.net
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