Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan: 'An Inspirer' through Volunteer Activities

All limits lie in our mindset.
Born and raised in Bac Giang, Phuong Lan is a girl full of energy and enthusiasm. Even while still in school, she participated in many local volunteer activities. In 2021, Lan became the Team Leader of the Student Social Work Team at her school. In this role, Lan led the team in organizing many charity fundraising campaigns, raising significant amounts of money, such as: Dong Am Xuan Lac (80 million VND), Uoc Nguyen Cua Gio (80 million VND), and most recently, Hoa Nang Ban Mai (100 million VND).

Thanks to her youthful enthusiasm and efforts, Phuong Lan has achieved remarkable accomplishments. She was honored to represent the Student Social Work Team and receive a commendation at the 2023 National Volunteer Awards ceremony on the evening of December 3rd in Ho Chi Minh City.
To achieve those admirable accomplishments, Phuong Lan faced numerous difficulties. The student shared: “One of the biggest challenges was that the team members thought they couldn't do it. Additionally, when seeking funding for projects, the majority of those who knew about the team were students, so there wasn't a diverse target audience in our fundraising sales activities.” At a fundraising sale at the Me Tri dormitory for the "Brilliant Stars" program, Phuong Lan held up a Southeast Asian U23 team jersey worn by player Dung Quang Nho.

However, with determination and enthusiasm, Phuong Lan and the team members overcame the difficulties. The student launched campaigns to open "files" to reach new target audiences, collaborated with various volunteer organizations to leverage resources and encourage the community to do good deeds, and actively participated in media competitions to bring the team's image closer to a wider audience.
"I launched these campaigns with the aim of reaching new audiences so that we could successfully sell products to raise funds by collaborating with various volunteer organizations. This is a way to leverage the resources of all parties and encourage the community to do good deeds and actively participate in competitions. Additionally, it helps to promote the team's image to a wider audience," the female student shared. One of the factors that gave Phuong Lan the strength to overcome those difficulties was being inspired by the words of the founder of the "Nurturing Children" project, Mr. Hoang Hoa Trung: "Never think of yourself as a student, that students can only do this much. Your limits lie in your mindset." This served as a guiding principle that helped Phuong Lan achieve many extraordinary things.
Volunteering is about bringing value to the community.
Phuong Lan believes that instead of just giving ordinary gifts, volunteers should aim for sustainable development in the local area, such as building projects that help change people's mindsets, or constructing schools to raise awareness about education for children. This is also the goal she has set for herself with the volunteer activities of the Student Social Work Team that she leads.

Thanks to this perspective, Phuong Lan has led the school's Student Social Work Team to organize many meaningful charitable projects, bringing practical value to the community. A prime example is the "Morning Sunshine Flower" project, which built a new school for children in Son La, giving them the opportunity to access education.
Besides her volunteer work, Phuong Lan has always strived to excel in her studies and achieve high academic results. She believes that the most important thing is to have clear goals and prioritize tasks. Phuong Lan also acknowledges that time is the biggest obstacle in getting things done. To overcome difficulties in all circumstances, she has adopted the motto: "Work to have free time, not to work only when you have free time." To work more efficiently and manage her time better, she discovered the Pomodoro learning method. Using the Pomodoro time chart, Phuong Lan estimates the time it will take her to complete tasks, thereby helping her to solve problems quickly and effectively.
Not only is Phuong Lan a shining example in volunteer work, but she is also someone who actively spreads the spirit of volunteerism to the community. She regularly participates in talks and shares her experiences in volunteer work with young people. She is also one of the founders of the "Volunteerism - Flame of Love" project, which aims to inspire and encourage young people to participate in volunteer activities.

With her achievements and tireless efforts, Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan has become a shining example for young people and a great source of motivation for charitable activities. We wish Phuong Lan continued success in the future, contributing to bringing positive values ​​to the community.
Phuong Lan's outstanding achievements:
Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union for "Outstanding achievements in volunteer activities for the community in 2023";
The Hanoi City Student Union awarded the student for their positive contributions to the student movement in the 2022-2023 academic year.
Certificate of Commendation from the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Cho Don District for "Outstanding Achievements in the 2022 Winter Volunteer Program and the 2023 Spring Volunteer Program";
Certificate of Merit from the Student Union of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for "Having achieved many accomplishments in student union activities and student movements in the academic year 2022 - 2023".

Vietnam Student Newspaper: Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan: 'An Inspirer' through Volunteer Activities (tienphong.vn)