Understanding yourself is the "key" to success.Tran Thi Phuong Thao (born in 2001) graduated as valedictorian of the high-quality Journalism program at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Thao believes that understanding oneself is the "key" to self-confidence and success.
During her four years at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Thao was very proud of the excellent, experienced, and dedicated teachers. She enjoyed in-depth research on journalism and media. Thao shared: “I found the hypotheses presented very interesting and intriguing, and I wanted to find relatively accurate answers to them. I only registered to participate in the scientific research project in my final year of university. Although I won first prize, if I had invested in learning from my first year, I would probably have had a solid foundation and gained more experience, creating a more secure basis for my academic pursuits.”
Valedictorian Tran Thi Phuong Thao
Thảo previously interned as an editor at the Documentary and News Center of Vietnam Television (VTV) and held the position of Community Executive at TiredCity. These experiences helped her become more confident and skillful.
According to Thao, self-understanding is extremely important. Once we understand ourselves—our strengths and weaknesses, our talents and shortcomings—we will be more decisive in asserting ourselves, without needing to chase after any standards.
The young woman is also actively involved in community activities. Whenever she receives a scholarship or award, Thao always donates a portion to funds such as: "Nuoi Em" (Raising Children), "Green Life," and the Hanoi Dog and Cat Rescue Station…
During her university years, Tran Thi Phuong Thao achieved many admirable accomplishments, including a high school GPA of 3.75/4.0; academic achievement scholarships for all 6 semesters; the BIDV scholarship for the 2019-2020 academic year; and the Jeon Jungkook Star Scholarship in 2022.
The young woman has won numerous top awards in scientific research: First Prize in the 2023 Institute-level Student Scientific Research Competition; First Prize in the 2023 University-level Student Scientific Research Competition; and has had a scientific paper published in the Journal of Science of the Vietnam Women's Academy.
Thao was honored as an "Outstanding Young Person at the grassroots level" in 2022; a student with the highest academic results for many years; a "5 Good Student" at the school level in the 2020-2021 academic year; and a class officer who contributed to collective activities in the 2019-2020 academic year.
She also received the Best Design award in the "Lucky Money Stall" - Spring Street SJC design competition for young people at the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training in 2022; and won the Best Article award in the "Our Golden Dream" writing competition of the Dreamwork blog in 2021.
"Double Valedictorian" in PsychologyTruong Thi Phuong Thanh (born in 2001) graduated as valedictorian of the Psychology major at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, with an excellent GPA of 3.69/4.0. In 2019, she was the top-scoring student in the D01 entrance exam at the university.
Valedictorian Truong Thi Phuong Thanh
Phuong Thanh is a curious person who likes to ask questions and find answers. Friends often consult her before needing help with any problem. She has dreamed of pursuing a degree in Psychology since she was in middle school. Phuong Thanh found understanding the complexities of human mental and psychological issues very challenging, so she applied to and was accepted into the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Choosing a major based on passion and a desire to surpass herself, Phuong Thanh also found a suitable study method and easily achieved high scores. The valedictorian shared: "The most important thing is that studying must be accompanied by purpose and goals. If you study aimlessly, just to pass the subject, or think that this knowledge won't be on the exam so you don't study it, then it's very difficult to absorb the information."
With long classes and a large amount of material, she reviews the syllabus, highlights the main points, and marks any questions she wants to ask before class. During class, she always tries to interact with the lecturer, taking notes on examples or content the lecturer highlights for the midterm and final exams.
Through hard work and dedication, she reaped many rewards. She received numerous academic achievement scholarships from the university, a Shinnyo scholarship from Japan for all four years of her studies, and the "Outstanding Student" award at the university level for the 2019-2020 academic year. Furthermore, she actively participated in student scientific research movements and the Humanities Club. In addition, she also dedicated time to volunteering and part-time work.
Phuong Thanh chose to start working early for two main reasons: to gain work experience and familiarize herself with the environment and potential challenges; and because she was planning to move south, she chose companies with offices in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to be more proactive in her work. Thanks to this, she also learned many things beyond what she had learned in school.
Currently, the top-scoring student is working in human resources and gaining further knowledge in career counseling. She plans to accumulate more work experience before applying for a master's scholarship abroad.
