The path to becoming valedictorian of a female student of Humanities

Pham Thi Thu Huong will receive a bachelor's degree with honors at the July 2024 Graduation Ceremony, as the valedictorian of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.85/4.
"The result is surprising and meaningful because it proves my determination to go to school," said the female student.

New valedictorian Pham Thi Thu Huong - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU (Photo: Provided by the character)

Thu Huong is a former student of the Geography class at Vinh Phuc High School for the Gifted, Vinh Phuc Province. Since grade 10, Huong has participated in many competitions for excellent students at the provincial level, the Northern Delta Coastal region, and Hung Vuong Summer Camp, and has won first prize or gold medals. A year after taking the exam to advance to a higher level and winning third prize, in grade 12, Huong won second prize in the national excellent student competition and was directly admitted to university.
She said she wanted to learn more about languages ​​so she chose Chinese.Oriental Studies"hot" and majoring in Chinese studies, so Huong registered.
In the meantime, a family incident caused all of the student's plans to be put on hold. Her father passed away, and the financial burden fell on her mother. Nguyen Thi Loi, the student's mother, said Huong was the second child in the family; the eldest daughter had just graduated, and the youngest was still in school. She was happy that her children had passed their exams, but with the income from farming and small-scale work, she was worried that she could not handle it.
"I told Huong to stay home and work as a factory worker, but she persuaded me and asked to go to school," Loi recalled. "I saw that she loved to study, so I agreed."
She said that every time she won an award, Huong saved it. She also received a "Tiep suc den truong" scholarship when she entered university, so she could cover her expenses during the first time she returned to Hanoi.
At home, to earn more income, Ms. Loi works 2-3 jobs, from morning to night. Every month, she sends Huong about 1-2 million VND for living expenses.
Loving her mother, Huong did not complain but tried hard to study. In her first year, Huong was the best student in Oriental Studies and won the school's scholarship to encourage learning. From then on, the female student had more motivation to maintain her academic scores throughout the four years.
Huong said she has no special strategy, just sets goals and tries her best. She doesn’t discriminate between subjects, but tries her best to do her best as required by her teachers. She usually completes her assignments and essays 1-2 days before the deadline so she has time to review them.
Choosing to major in Chinese studies, Huong had to learn Chinese from the beginning. In class, the female student paid attention to the lectures and continued studying at home. Every summer, Huong found a related job to both learn the language and earn extra money to help her mother.
Before graduating, Huong focused on studying for the international Chinese certificate (HSK) to facilitate her future work. She pasted sticky notes all over her rented room, left a reminder on her phone screen to "study" and studied according to the HSK exam schedule.
In the morning, I practice Listening, Reading, Writing, and try to do one test every day. In the evening, I review my mistakes and learn vocabulary. After more than two months of studying, I achieved HSK 6 (the highest level) and HSKK 65/100 points.
"I'm not the best student in class, but I'm hard-working and disciplined," Huong said. "Because of my family's circumstances, I remind myself to try harder."
Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, Head of the Chinese Studies Department, Faculty of Oriental Studies, taught Huong some specialized subjects in her third year. She said that her students have effective learning methods, a serious and inquisitive attitude towards learning.
"I believe that after graduation, Huong will continue to develop and become an example for younger generations," Ms. Hoa shared.
Huong is currently considering applying for a Chinese government scholarship to further her studies or work. She said that whatever she decides, her mother and sister will always support her.
Ms. Loi has been excited these past few days since her daughter announced that she graduated as valedictorian. She also wants to go to Hanoi and is taking time off from work to come and cheer her up.
Vietnam Student Newspaper: The path to becoming valedictorian of a poor female student
Information about Oriental Studies