Born and raised in Thach That district, the girl has earned admiration for her impressive academic achievements throughout her three years of university. Phuong excelled, winning scholarships in 5 out of 6 semesters and receiving a 100% scholarship from Pasal English Center, the Dao Minh Quang scholarship for the 2021-2022 academic year, and a Certificate of Merit from the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities for the student with the highest academic achievement in the 2021-2022 academic year... Sharing her secret to achieving such remarkable academic success, Lan Phuong humbly believes that she is very fortunate and well-suited to the field of Social Work because she is inherently a girl with positive energy, compassion, empathy, and a passion for helping the underprivileged, listening to them, and inspiring and empowering them.
From her first year of university, Lan Phuong actively participated in volunteer clubs at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, such as the Hoa Da Club and the Student Social Work Team. These trips and volunteer projects provided the enthusiastic 21-year-old with invaluable experiences. Lan Phuong's volunteer projects that have left a mark include the "Nurturing Children - Light of the Mountains and Forests" Project, the "Being Taught" Project, the "Industrial Gas Stove Donation to Remote Villages" Project within the "Nurturing Children" Ecosystem (from December 2021 to present), the "Donating Gas Stoves to Preschool and Primary School Students" activity, the "Groundbreaking Ceremony for a Beautiful School for Children" - Light of the Mountains and Forests Project - in Mai Son District, Son La Province, the "Inauguration Ceremony for a Beautiful School for Children" - Light of the Mountains and Forests Project - in Sin Ho District, Lai Chau Province, volunteering for the "Children's Day" program organized by the Central Children's Hospital, and actively volunteering for the "Tet Market for the Elderly" program at the Dien Hong nursing home... Despite being a girl who suffers from motion sickness, this hasn't stopped Phuong on her journey to create good things. After numerous volunteer trips from Hanoi to Thai Binh, Son La, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, etc., the young woman felt joyful, delighted, empathetic, sharing, grateful, and happy. Lan Phuong shared: "During these volunteer trips, I met many people, many different circumstances, many different fates, and helped them alleviate some of the difficulties they were facing... From that, I felt more appreciative of my current life, more compassionate, because not everyone is lucky enough to have a life full of family love, not everyone has the opportunity to access education,... I cherish these trips very much, and if I can, I will continue to go, until my feet are tired. As the lyrics of Den Vau's song say: 'We learn to give because we know that giving will bring much in return. Because when we give away smiles, worries will drift far away. Giving away happiness will bring back double or triple the amount.'"
Lan Phuong participated in the program "Warm Winter, Happy Spring - Giving the Fire to You" - building kitchens and playgrounds for children at 3 schools in Pu Lung - Xuan Lac - Bac Kan, organized by the Student Social Work Team.
Lan Phuong participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for "Beautiful School for Children" with the Power 2000 Project.
While first- and second-year students often wonder whether they should choose to participate in clubs to gain experience and expand their network or take on part-time jobs to earn extra income, Lan Phuong excels at both. She holds the positions of Class President and Class President of the K65 Social Work class, Deputy Team Leader of F16, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Sociology Faculty Student Union. In addition, Phuong dedicates her time to various part-time jobs: Social Work collaborator at E Hospital, tutor, volunteer teaching autistic children at the Center for Research on Children's Rights, and volunteer at the Blue Dragon Children's Organization. These part-time jobs provide Lan Phuong with income to help her parents, maintain relationships with friends and colleagues, and develop the skills to apply theoretical knowledge learned in class to real-world situations.
When asked about the secret to balancing academics, part-time work, and numerous volunteer activities, the talented girl born in 2002 said: "To achieve the success I have today, I think my secret is 'knowing how to manage time.' Because there are 24 hours in a day, everyone has 24 hours. I've had the habit of writing in a Bullet Journal since 2020. I plan my goals and tasks by month, week, and day. When I finish a task, I check the box next to it. At the end of the day, I check which tasks are completed and which are still undone to postpone them to the next day. For volunteer work, I also schedule it among the tasks I need to do that day, to complete them on time. Prioritizing important tasks is essential. In class, I always choose to sit in the front row, listen attentively to the teacher's lectures, take concise notes in my notebook, and try to understand the lesson immediately. If there are any problems, I'll answer them right away." I'm always willing to raise my hand and ask the teachers questions. Understanding the lessons in class has saved me time reviewing before each exam. When the exam is approaching, I just need to review what I've learned, and then I'm confident going into the test. I schedule my volunteer work for weekends or days off from school. I still prioritize my studies at school so I can graduate on time, as my father advised, and accumulate more knowledge and skills for the future."
Lan Phuong shared that there were many periods when her studies overlapped with her volunteer fundraising activities for the club, English classes, part-time jobs, and tutoring. Many times, sitting in front of her Bullet Journal and seeing so many unfinished tasks, Phuong felt disappointed in herself and pressured by her peers. Born into a not-so-well-off family, Phuong's parents were farmers, so raising three sisters and providing for their education was very difficult. Understanding her family's hardships, Phuong always strived to study hard and win scholarships to help her parents. When she couldn't afford external courses, Phuong chose to self-study or seek scholarships to have the opportunity to learn for free.
Phuong believes that: "There is no single way to live a life that benefits society. The most important thing is that you act according to the values and interests you believe in and bring a positive impact to the community and society around you. To live a life that benefits society, I think the first thing is to study and develop yourself. Invest time and effort in learning and developing your skills. Improving your education and professional skills will enable you to make a positive contribution and have an impact on society. Next, if you are someone who likes to explore and travel, you can participate in volunteer activities, helping others, from the simplest things like helping people on the street without hesitation – you'll feel great that day. Or throwing trash in the right place, cleaning up cups and sunflower seed shells when you go out for drinks with friends… simple things like that can make others happy, and it will benefit you as well." They will feel that life is much better."
This 21-year-old girl with lofty dreams is striving every day. After graduation, Phuong aspires to become a skilled and dedicated social worker, hoping to work for NGOs or organizations that assist vulnerable groups. These are all steps Lan Phuong is taking on her journey to become an inspiring person, wanting to help others and build a better life.
Vietnam Student Newspaper
