Opportunities are always available to everyone!

The January Star of the 2009-2010 school year at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is Dao Hai Phuong, a student of K51, Faculty of Journalism and Communication. Not only is she a good student and has a long history of achievements in Union and Association activities, Dao Hai Phuong is also recognized by her teachers and friends as a "multi-talented" person at work, very progressive and ready to try her hand in the fields she is interested in. In early 2010, Hai Phuong was one of two representatives of VNU students attending the event "The First Dialogue in Support of Southeast Asian Educational Cooperation" in Thailand and the Forum "For Vietnam to Take Off" at the Capital Student Festival. Let's hear her share her secrets and plans. - Hello Hai Phuong, what does the January Star title you just received mean to you?I feel truly honored and happy to be one of 247 students nationwide to receive this title. This is probably the “biggest” title I have ever received (laughs) and I was quite surprised when I was informed by the Youth Union of the School to receive this title. This is the result of my efforts and hard work over the past time and also a motivation for me to continue to strive harder.- Let's start with your major, why do you like Journalism?My father is a journalist, so since I was little I was exposed to this interesting job when he let me play with cameras, even go to work with me. On the other hand, the process of participating in collective activities made me like dynamic jobs, always changing and new every day. At that time, I did not know if journalism was really suitable for me, I only knew that I had a very clear thought of wanting to study journalism. That is why I did not hesitate to choose to take the entrance exam to the Faculty of Journalism and Communication of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, becoming the fourth member of my family to be a student of this school (father - Faculty of Literature, General University, sister - K46 International Studies, brother-in-law - K46 Tourism Studies, and me). Until now, I still think it was a completely correct decision. If I did not take the entrance exam to journalism, my second choice at that time would have been Fashion Design. [img class="caption" src="images/stories/2010/01/13/seu1.jpg" border="0" width="580"/>
- How much of your daily time does studying take up? What is your study secret?I don't have a fixed time for studying, for me everything always needs flexibility and I can study anytime, anywhere. Because the subject I study is quite unique and the only source of documents is not only in books but also has to learn a lot from reality. As Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai always reminds students of the Faculty of Journalism that: "Journalism is a profession that can be learned, but cannot be taught". Each person will have their own way of "learning" and learning is not limited to a certain amount of knowledge. In the beginning, when studying general subjects, I was quite diligent in making outlines and found that it was a very good method to absorb knowledge without having to sit and memorize. But with specialized subjects, that is not enough, you have to learn from reality, from each newspaper, daily news sources and many other factors. The Faculty of Journalism and Communication of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is not divided into separate majors, so it requires students to have a full range of skills to be able to work in all types of journalism. This creates many opportunities but also puts pressure on students. In my opinion, this is a good opportunity because I want to try my hand in all fields to know what my strengths are.- Did the school's conversion from year-based to credit-based training cause you any difficulties in studying and how did you overcome them?The credit training form is a form that encourages students' initiative and I think journalism students have many choices in this environment. Our majors are also quite suitable for this form of training, for example: Advertising, PR, Radio, Television, Print Journalism Practice... because then students have to work practically and the class hours are only for lecturers to orient and exchange theory with students. Although the less time in class helps me have the opportunity to do many other jobs, it also requires me to have a reasonable self-study method because the amount of knowledge acquired in class is quite modest. The credit training form has just been applied so there are still many problems, but I believe that, when it operates smoothly, this is truly an attractive and effective learning environment. [img class="caption" src="images/stories/2010/01/13/seu2.jpg" border="0" width="580"/>
- Having held many positions in the Youth Union and Student Association of the School as well as of VNU, many people consider you to be "greedy" and too perfectionist at work?It seems that if I am not busy, I will feel "tired" and lacking something. That is why my roommates and classmates always wonder "what does he do that he is always rushing, always busy". It is true that I am quite greedy when I take on many roles at once and I want to do well in every role: I want to study as well as possible because it is my final year, I want to get involved in all the Union activities and I also work part-time. At work, I am also a perfectionist, because I believe that "everything will be fine in the end, and if it is not fine, it is not the end", so everything can be solved. However, sometimes being too perfectionist is not good. Maybe that is why I have the ability to develop myself in many fields. I really have to be grateful for everything I had in my 4 years of university. Perhaps it will be the most meaningful time for me, the time when I learned, matured and had great friends... In particular, I want to especially thank the seniors in the Youth Union Office, the students in the Executive Committee as well as in the Faculty who have always stood by me and supported me.- One of the areas of activities of the School Youth Union that you have successfully undertaken in the past year is communications work. Can you tell us a little about what you have done and new ideas for the future?If we say it was a success, it is not really, but my friends and I in the Student Union Secretariat have also made great efforts in communication work so that the activities of the Union can be promoted in the most effective way. When I became a member of the Student Union Executive Committee and then a member of the Student Union Secretariat, because I majored in Journalism, I was often assigned to be in charge of this area of ​​work. It sounds quite "grand" but in reality, it has not really been as expected. My main job is to promote the programs through articles before, during and after the event through media channels such as forums, the school website and other possible channels. The program that we feel is the most complete and perfect is the Miss Nhan Van 2009 contest. With a separate information channel on tamtay.vn, all related information is quickly updated, so it is very convenient for both the contestants and the Organizing Committee during the event and the contest is also known by more people. In my opinion, the communication work in the Union activities of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in the past one or two years has had certain developments and marks. Thanks to that, the activities of the Union have reached more students. In the coming time, although I am about to graduate, I will try to continue to contribute as much as I can to this field of work.- It is known that the newspaper "Tu Van" - the brainchild of the Youth Union of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - has had your great contribution in editing and presentation. What can you share about this work?It seems that I and “Tu nguyen” have a connection. Before coming to Tu nguyen, I was in charge of organizing the Campaign Reporter team to participate in the summer volunteer campaign in 2008. Once, when I was talking to Mr. Pham Huy Cuong - Deputy Secretary, President of the School's Student Union, I confided that I was interested in both jobs, so Mr. Cuong encouraged me to do it. I didn't have time to consult with my seniors about their experiences, but I took the initiative to develop my own ideas. After mobilizing and informing the classes, the volunteer reporter team finalized a list of 21 reporters. I organized meetings, assigned tasks to teams, built operating regulations, made cards, bought notebooks... and maintained contact with my friends throughout the campaign. At that time, although I was called "team leader", I did not directly volunteer but "stayed" at home as a focal point and my responsibility was in the... post-production part. For the first issue of Tu Nguon, I had absolutely no experience, I had to figure everything out from scratch. The design at that time had to be done by my friend in Industrial Fine Arts, we both stayed up many nights to finish it on time because my friend was not very proficient in newspaper design. Luckily, at that time, I was taking the class of Design and Layout of Printed Newspapers, although I did not learn about the techniques, the book by Tim Harrower that Ms. Nguyen Thu Giang provided helped me grasp the basic design rules and I was very eager to apply it to Tu Nguon. So I started to explore Quark (a popular newspaper design software) and the more I explored, the more interesting it became. Just like that, I took on both the roles of editor and designer. After each issue of Tu Nguon, I felt much more confident and inspired, like a passion for Tu Nguon. Among them, I remember the most is Voluntary issue 16, a special issue dedicated to K50 because in this issue there are people I love very much, and Voluntary issue 18 welcoming the recent Youth Union Congress of the School, Term VI, I completed the editing and design in just… 2 days. I am also very proud that my school newspaper is also highly appreciated by other schools in the National University. I hope that with what I have contributed to Voluntary, the newspaper will develop more and more and be loved by more students.- You are the representative of VNU students attending the forum "For Vietnam to take off" in the Capital Student Festival in January 2010 and the first Dialogue in support of the Southeast Asian Education Cooperation Association in February 2010. What do you plan to contribute to the above two events?Recently, I participated in the forum “For Vietnam to Take Off” at the Capital Student Festival. This is a very interesting forum in which students have the opportunity to meet and exchange opinions with important figures such as Dr. Nguyen Si Dung (Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Office), Economic Expert Pham Chi Lan, and History Professor Le Van Lan. Students as well as guests were very enthusiastic in giving interesting views on issues related to the elevation of Vietnam in the current period. Attending the forum, I contributed my opinions from the perspective of a journalism student, which is the responsibility of the youth in foreign affairs and promoting the image of Vietnam to international friends. In the near future, I am very fortunate to be one of two representatives of VNU to attend the first Dialogue in support of Southeast Asian educational cooperation co-organized by the AUN organization and Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. The theme of this dialogue is “Students participating in university governance”, which I think is an attractive and practical topic in the current period. It seems that the two events I am participating in this time are quite related to each other, because when participating in the Dialogue in Thailand, I have the responsibility to represent the voice of Vietnamese students in the content of the dialogue and at the same time promote the image of Vietnam to Asian student friends. This is a great opportunity for me to broaden my horizons and hone my skills when participating in international forums. I am preparing everything to be able to participate with the best results. In my opinion, in order for students to be able to actively participate in the university governance process, the two-way information channel between students and the University must be invested in effectively. I will focus on this idea and consult with teachers to be able to come up with the most appropriate arguments. [img class="caption" src="images/stories/2010/01/13/seu3.jpg" border="0" width="580"/>
- It seems that you have many things that a student desires: good at studying, very active in work and common activities, and with the experience you have, it seems that a good career future is also waiting for you ahead. Can you share your successful experience with everyone? In my opinion, opportunities are always available to everyone. My starting point is the same as all other students, I also had to try very hard to achieve what I have, and certainly these are just the first steps. There are not many "natural" opportunities, so I have to be the one to create opportunities and use different ways to grasp them. I see that young people today have many conditions to affirm and develop their own abilities. Compared to many people, what I have is nothing, but I believe that I can create opportunities to go further within my ability.- What are some of your future plans?My immediate plan is to graduate with honors and make a good graduation TV production as a gift for my father. I also really want to experience the educational environment abroad, but I probably won't study abroad, but will look for short-term journalism courses to participate in. My future job is to participate in the television or PR field. My current part-time job will also help me gain a lot of experience to develop my career in the future. - Thank you Hai Phuong for the conversation.