The turning point trip of the valedictorian who gave a graduation speech in English

Bui Minh Thuy, 22 years old, graduated as valedictorian of the International Studies major (standard system) from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-USSH) with a GPA of 3.77/4.0. The Hai Phong girl was the representative of the new graduates to give a speech in English at the school's graduation ceremony on July 29. Sharing with reporters from the Vietnamese Student Page, Tien Phong Newspaper, Minh Thuy said: "Being chosen to speak in English in front of delegates, teachers, parents and friends made me nervous.
I practiced many times, edited the content and pronunciation to convey the message confidently and clearly. The moment I stood on stage, I was both nervous and emotional, but most of all, I felt proud. This is definitely a complete and memorable ending to my student life." Four years ago, Thuy chose the International Studies major at VNU-USSH as her first choice because of her passion for history and her desire to experience new lands. From her history lessons, Thuy realized that knowledge of different cultures and languages ​​has a magical power: connecting people, eliminating contradictions, preventing conflicts, as well as helping to nurture each individual's multidimensional thinking.
As a student majoring in International Relations, Thuy has a lot of experience in activities of the Youth Union, Student Association and international exchanges. She used to be the Vice President and Deputy Head of the External Organization Committee of the Flame of 20 Club of the school, Deputy Secretary of the Faculty's Youth Union, and a delegate of the Lancang Mekong Youth Online 2023 program organized by Fudan University (China).
  In particular, the trip is part of the NEREC Summer Fellows Program 2024 at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science Technology (KAIST), organized by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Education & Research Center (NEREC) of KAIST and funded by funds from the United States and Korea.
According to information from the International Studies Department, Thuy is the youngest student in this 5-week course. For Thuy, the most memorable was probably the field trip to Seoul when she visited the Korean National Assembly building, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Blue House - the official residence and workplace of the Korean presidents, places she had only seen on TV before. According to the new valedictorian, studying and researching in a world-leading academic environment like KAIST is an important turning point. This not only helps Thuy mature professionally, but also awakens in her a greater aspiration, the aspiration to contribute to building a more developed, more modern, but still humane Vietnam.
The female student shared that to be admitted to international programs such as NEREC or Mekong Youth, the key factor she aimed for was the compatibility between herself and the program. Not only in terms of major but also in terms of goals, personal values ​​and long-term development orientation.
Thuy always takes the time to carefully research information such as participation conditions, required documents, submission deadlines and selection criteria. If she sees an opportunity, she applies immediately without hesitation, because she believes that being proactive and timely is very important. “The important thing is to persevere in trying, even if you don’t always succeed the first time,” Thuy said. Interdisciplinary subjects also help Thuy broaden her thinking and perspective, making her more confident when applying for international programs. In particular, Thuy really likes the subjects Introduction to International Relations and International Negotiation. In the International Negotiation subject, she had the opportunity to experience a simulated negotiation session, thereby practicing her negotiation skills and handling situations.
In addition, Thuy also enrolled in the International Support course of the International Development Studies department at the faculty. She realized that this is a very interesting field, especially when combined with knowledge of international relations, helping her broaden her perspective on global cooperation and development.
The research idea from the trip to Korea also helped Thuy develop a scientific research project that won a school-level award and a graduation thesis with a perfect score of 10/10. The topic is called Norms in International Relations: Analysis of the case of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and was supervised by Dr. Le Lena. In the process of implementing the topic, Thuy systematized the theories related to international norms and applied the norm life cycle framework of Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink. Choosing NPT allows her to analyze how an international norm is formed, spreads and becomes binding behavior in the international system.
“The NPT is a typical case that clearly shows the intertwining of power, national interests and common values ​​of the international community. During the research process, I realized that even widely accepted norms have a gap between principles and practices, especially the imbalance between countries that possess and do not possess nuclear weapons,” Thuy said.
Besides, what impressed Thuy the most after the trip was the strong friendship with students from many different countries. Everyone still maintains reunion calls to share, recall memories and update each other's lives.
After graduating, Thuy is currently a project assistant at a non-governmental organization. This is an opportunity for her to further develop her research thinking, analytical skills and expand her professional knowledge. When the project ends, she will spend time focusing on improving her foreign language skills and cultivating the necessary skills to prepare her application for a scholarship to study abroad.