Lighting up the heart of kindness at the "Support to go to school" scholarship award ceremony

The program awards 20 special scholarships worth 15 million VND each to new students with especially difficult circumstances and 114 scholarships worth 10 million VND each to new students with difficult circumstances who excel in their studies.

New student Tran Thi Hong Ngoc, class 64, Institute of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities is the student who received 1 of 20 special scholarships. On the program's exchange stage, Ngoc's story was shared again.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu and student Tran Thi Hong Ngoc on the exchange stage of the scholarship award ceremony of Tuoi Tre newspaper

Ngoc's mother - Mrs. Tran Thi Hat (57 years old) - is a disabled woman since her youth. At the age of 23, while doing community service in the locality, she was hit by a tree and broke her left arm. The disaster struck suddenly while her family was poor and had no money for treatment, so her arm had to be amputated.

Since birth, Ngoc has lacked the love of her father. The house was simple, mother and daughter depended on each other. Having no land, and unable to do hard work, she applied to work as a clerk for the commune to earn extra income. The main source of monthly income for mother and daughter was the small allowance and clerical allowance.

Three years ago, seeing her health decline, she went to the hospital for a check-up and discovered she had thyroid cancer. The life of the mother and daughter became even more difficult because Mrs. Hat was in the hospital more often than at home.

"The day my mother was diagnosed with a serious illness was also the month I was studying for the high school entrance exam. At that time, I thought many times about quitting school and finding a job to take care of my mother. But then my teachers advised me, and my mother also told me to try to finish grade 12 and get a diploma and then think about what to do next," Ngoc recalls.

Realizing her family’s poverty early on, Ngoc always tried to study hard. Every school year, Ngoc was an excellent student. During the summer and holidays, when school was closed, Ngoc asked for a job, from washing dishes, harvesting rice, serving in a restaurant… to help her mother.

"When I received the admission notice, I knew that my family's circumstances prevented me from attending the lecture hall, so I just showed it off to my mother as an achievement of my efforts and then planned to ask her for some money to frame it and keep it as a souvenir. Thinking about the future, many nights I couldn't sleep. Seeing my mother like me, I kept flipping it over and over. We hugged each other and cried," Ngoc confided.

When the screen on the stage showed a clip about Hong Ngoc, the image of Ngoc's mother appeared - a woman with a hard life, with the typical tanned skin of people born and raised in the sunny and windy Central region. Her steps were difficult, swaying due to an unbalanced center of gravity and especially her eyes, the eyes of a sick mother, who loved her child but was helpless. In a simple house with a barren garden was the image of a strong student, her face covered in sweat, cutting vegetables. Her eyes were sad, the sadness was reflected in her hug for her mother.

The image and story of the family's resilience moved everyone in the hall to tears.

Participating in the exchange with 2 representatives of new students receiving scholarships, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu - Head of the Department of Politics and Student Affairs, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi shared stories about the humanitarian journey of the teachers of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in particular and the community in general who have accompanied Ngoc.

“When I read the article in Tuoi Tre newspaper about Ngoc's family's difficult situation and her unfulfilled dream of graduating from university, Mr. Pham Quang Minh - the school's principal immediately called me to inform me of the decision to waive all tuition and dormitory fees for Ngoc's 4 years of university. That afternoon, after finishing my class, I decided to drive from Hanoi to Nghi Loc, Nghe An to pick her up to enroll in school" - Mr. Lieu shared - "I went to pick her up, to personally come back to share the joy and encourage Ngoc's mother to rest assured. I came back to promise the teachers and the government that I would continue to teach her to become a good person and also to encourage her, hoping she would overcome her difficulties. Ngoc became a precious "medicine" to cure her mother's illness in the most difficult times".

That spontaneous, unplanned trip was one of the journeys, the honorable and happy experiences of his teaching career. Teacher Lieu said that, in the past, when he was a poor student in Ha Tinh, he also received a lot of help from everyone to be able to become a student of Hanoi University of Science at that time. So "I received and now I give back".

In addition to the 15 million VND scholarship, Tuoi Tre newspaper reader Nguyen Van Minh and a group of friends in Dong Nai donated an additional 10.5 million VND to new student Hong Ngoc to help her cover her studies.

Now, Ngoc has officially become a new student at the Institute of Journalism and Communication. Leaving behind the image of a student with sad eyes, Hong Ngoc smiled brightly and shared about her current and future plans:

“I love reading so I applied to be a librarian at the Institute so I could read as many books as possible. I have received a lot of help from the community, and I also hope to give back through volunteer activities, so I signed up to be a member of the School's Volunteer Club. I will also participate in the school's Student Scientific Research activities. I will learn to write for newspapers from my first year, completing my student life to the fullest so that I can become a journalist after graduation.”

“If I were to compare myself to a pinwheel, I think everyone's trust would be the coolest breeze to help us take flight in our dreams.””,Ngoc shared.

Mr. Le Xuan Trung - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper sent his congratulations to the new students in the North and North Central regions who were selected to receive the "Tiep suc den truong" scholarship. He emphasized that the "Tiep suc den truong" scholarship is a reward, sharing the aspirations of new students. The articles written about you in Tuoi Tre Newspaper make the newspaper more humane, inspire readers, and contribute to making our lives better and better."We think this reward is for you in the hope of motivating you in your journey to realize your dreams of studying and becoming successful."Mr. Le Xuan Trung advised.

Mr. Vu Duy Hai - Chairman of the Board of Directors, General Director of Vinacam Joint Stock Company, on behalf of the sponsor, sent to the new students a message about the precious tree growing from the cracks of rocks, unyielding in the wind and lasting for hundreds of years: "The Support to School Scholarship Fund is just like a hand to lift you up a little, helping you gain momentum up the hill, the rest you have to continue to try. You are also the trees that have grown up from hardship, I believe you will contribute to the future of the country, improve the country in terms of environment, economy, culture and improve your villages, countryside and your own families".

Participating in the program, the beauty queen "Crescent Moon" Be Thi Bang (Bang Bang) "fueled" the new students' faith and enthusiasm to overcome difficulties through a graceful and vibrant dance. Bang Bang had a traffic accident, lost a leg, and thought her life was only dark. But then the girl strongly overcame the period of "not knowing where life would go", becoming a flame of motivation for people in difficult circumstances like her.

In a bright red dress, confidently standing on one foot in sparkling high heels, Bang Bang sent a message to hundreds of new students:"Education is not the only way to success, but it is the best way for us to have a brighter future."

Humane messages were spread on the stage of the scholarship awarding ceremony: Pinwheels are only beautiful and meaningful when they spin in the wind, people only mature and perfect themselves when they overcome difficulties and challenges. Kind hearts will not let any student have to give up their dream of studying just because of difficult circumstances. They just need to try, there will always be hands reaching out to support them. And they themselves will become role models, a driving force for many people.